


Haunted Septiween 2016

by BeccaBear93



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Afterlife, Aliens, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Angels, Angst, Crossdressing, Established Relationship, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Ghosts, Halloween, Haunted Houses, Haunted Septiween, Haunted Septiween 2016, M/M, Robots, Sirens, Teenagers, Vampires, Wizards
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-02
Updated: 2016-10-31
Packaged: 2018-08-19 01:36:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 21,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8184076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeccaBear93/pseuds/BeccaBear93
Summary: A collection of short fics for shitsquiettime's Haunted Septiween challenge.





	1. Decorations

**Author's Note:**

> Yep, I decided to take part in Haunted Septiween. If you don't know about, you can check out the details here: http://shitsquiettime.tumblr.com/post/151146870081/haunted-septiween-2016
> 
> For those of you reading LWY, I'm really sorry if this slows down updates on that more. I AM still working on it, though, which is why I might not participate in every single day of this challenge. Anyways, the theme for the first day is "decorations." Enjoy!

“Can you _please_ help me put these spider webs over the door?” Jack asks, stretching up on his toes and grunting in frustration.

“Why are you even bothering? Nobody ever comes out here; it’s just wasted effort,” Mark says, passing outside. He watches Jack struggle for a minute, not even _trying_ to hold back a giggle. The other man glares at him, and he smirks before coming to the rescue.

Jack definitely does _not_ squeal when Mark steps up behind him, wraps his arm around his legs, and lifts him into the air. Even when his boyfriend inevitably tries to tease him about it later, he will deny that it ever happened.

What he _does_ do is find his balance, smack Mark’s shoulder, and pin up the fake webs. Once he’s steadily on the ground again, he continues their previous conversation. “We get some trick-or-treaters,” he argues, heading inside to grab a chair. He will _not_ let Mark pick him up again.

“Yeah, like, five. I’m sure they’ll be happy enough with the candy.”

“Where’s your holiday spirit? C’mon, help me decorate,” Jack says, pouting. Mark groans when he pulls out the puppy dog eyes, and Jack cheers in his head. He’s already won; the eyes are Mark’s weakness, and he is more than willing to use that to his advantage.

“Fine…” Mark says reluctantly, and Jack grins.

“Great! The box is right over there. We’ve got a ton of stuff to put up.”

“Why do I feel like I just got tricked into working?”

“Because you did,” Jack answers with an angelic smile.

Mark sighs, but pulls him in for a kiss. “You’re lucky I love you, you ass,” he says, resting their foreheads together.

“I know.” Jack’s smile softens, and he presses another quick kiss to his boyfriend’s lips. “Love you too. Now let’s get started!”

The work passes surprisingly quickly, and Jack is satisfied to see Mark getting more and more into it as they go. Soon enough, there’s a ghost hanging from the tree in the front yard, a skeleton sitting on the porch, and more spiders than Jack is entirely comfortable with, even though they’re fake.

They step back to admire their work, and Mark frowns. “Is that it?” he questions.

“Yep, that’s everything we have.”

“It’s not exactly spooky lighting,” he complains. “I wonder if we could do something about that.”

Jack laughs. “If you really want to, we could probably get a black lightbulb to replace the porch light.”

“Good idea,” Mark says, perking up. “Oh, while we’re at it, we should go to that Halloween store in town and get something with a motion sensor to freak people out! And I’m sure they’ve got other cool decorations there, too!”

Jack snickers into his hand. “And _who_ said this was a waste of time?”

“Shut up. It was your idea.”

“Yes it was, Markimoo. You’ve got me there.”

“Let’s just go.”

“Yes, sir!” Jack pauses just for effect, then asks, “Do you wanna get costumes, too?”

“…Maybe.”


	2. Pumpkin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why is this where my mind went when I saw the prompt "Pumpkin?" I have no idea.

“Ooh, you finished the pumpkin carving video?” Mark asked, looking over the finished product.

“Yep. Maybe I should’ve done something more creative than a normal jack-o-lantern face, but I think the weirdness of the video will probably make up for it.”

“Hmm… Mind if I make an adjustment?”

Jack’s face scrunched in confusion, but he shrugged. “Sure, why not? We _can_ just go get another pumpkin if you wanna do one yourself, though.”

“Nah,” Mark said, waving off the offer. “I just wanna try something out.”

“Alright…” Jack sat down, watching curiously. He was surprised when Mark flipped the pumpkin onto its side and started cutting a hole in the bottom. “What the fuck are you doing, dude? You know that’s where you set the candle, right?”

Mark shrugged. “You’ll see. Besides, we can just set the candle on the ground and put this over it.” He finished cutting, eyed his work, and started over, taking out nearly the entire bottom of the pumpkin.

“Seriously, what are you doing?” Mark didn’t answer, instead lifting the jack-o-lantern up in front of his face. Jack suddenly had a clear vision of what was about to happen, and he put a hand on the other man’s arm to stop him. “What the hell, Mark? Haven’t you ever seen Friends?”

“Yeah, so?” Mark asked with a shrug.

“This is gonna be just like Joey, with the—” Jack cut himself off, resting his forehead in his hand. He sighed and shook his head. “Never mind. This is gonna be a disaster.”

“No it won’t. Just watch; this’ll be hilarious.”

Jack rolled his eyes but looked up as Mark put the pumpkin over his head. “Uh-huh. Yep. Hilarious,” he said flatly. Mark pulled one hand away from the pumpkin to make a claw. He growled, and the corner of Jack’s mouth lifted into a small but fond smile. “You’re such a goofball.”

“That’s me,” Mark agreed. “Okay, joke’s over. Time to take this—uh…” He pulled up, but the pumpkin didn’t come off.

Jack jumped up from his seat, fidgeting anxiously as he tried to figure out what to do. “Are you kidding me…? I told you this would happen!”

Just as Jack reached for the bottom of the jack-o-lantern, Mark popped it off, grinning. “Got ya!” The other man’s face fell flat, and he giggled.

“I fucking hate you,” Jack said, turning and walking straight out the door.

“No you don’t!”

“Yes I do,” he said, but there was a clear hint of laughter in his voice.

“Aww, c’mon,” Mark pouted, trailing down the hall after him.

“You scared the shit outta me!”

“Can’t I do something to make it up to you?” Jack spun to face him, an evil glint in his eye, and Mark instantly regretted saying anything.

And that’s how Mark ended up handing out candy to all the trick-or-treaters in an Eeyore onesie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There were lot of directions that I could have gone with the costume at the end there. I didn't want to make this one explicitly shippy OR scar the children, though, so I ended up going with something embarrassingly(?) childish in the end.


	3. Mad Scientist

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this one really got away from me. It kept trying to grow into a full-length fic, and even with me cutting back a lot of my ideas, it still ended up about 4x longer than planned. The plot bunnies just wouldn’t let go, though, and I really enjoyed writing this.
> 
> For day 4, I decided to use the extended prompt:  
> Mad scientist  
> “Could you ever love something you created?”  
> “I don’t know.”
> 
> Warnings for angst, injury, and kind-of suicide (I can’t really explain without giving a lot away, sorry).

“You seriously made this thing, Mark?” Wade circled around the incredibly realistic robot, eyes wide. He reached out to touch it, but hesitated and withdrew at the last second.

“Yep,” he answered proudly. “It took forever, but all the tests have been passed and he’s finally ready to be flipped on.”

“You’re a mad scientist, Mark.”

The other man coughed exaggeratedly. “ _Engineer_ , thank you.”

“Yeah, well… I don’t know many _engineers_ who would build a person in their free time.”

“He’s not a person. I mean, the goal is for him to be as life-like as possible, but—”

“Um, I’m pretty sure you succeeded there.”

“—but we won’t know until we see how he behaves,” Mark continued, ignoring the interruption. “For all we know, he might instantly try to take over the world.”

“…You said that way too cheerfully.”

“Okay, time to do this,” he said, ignoring Wade again. He rubbed his hands together in anticipation and nervousness, then wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans. “Any ideas for a name?”

“Uh… Sean?” Wade suggested, blurting out the first name that came to mind.

“Great! And for a nickname, I’ll call him Jack!”

“How does that make any sense?”

“And… Welcome to the world!” Mark said, pressing the tiny button hidden behind the robot’s ear. “Hello, Jack.”

“Hello, Mark… Is ‘Jack’ my name?”

\-----

“Jack!” Mark said excitedly as he burst into the room. The robot looked up, head tilted curiously. “How are you feeling today?”

“Weird.”

“Oh? Why’s that?”

Jack sighed as the man pulled out a notepad and pen. He was already growing used to Mark writing down every detail of their conversations, but it still felt slightly uncomfortable. “Well… Logically, I know I’m not a human. But you managed to program me with what _seem like_ emotions and a personality. Illogically, I _feel_ like a human. I’m supposed to be a 26-year-old man, but I keep thinking, ‘What happened to the first 25 years of my life? Where are my memories?’ I know I was created in your lab, but you gave me an accent for some reason, and it keeps making me wonder whether I was born in Ireland. The conflicts between what I _know_ and what I _think_ are dizzying.”

“Hmm…” Mark tapped the pen against his lips in thought. “Would it help if added false memories? A backstory of some sort?”

The robot shrugged. “I don’t know if that would help, or if it would only make things worse. The memories might conflict with my knowledge even more.”

“Do you…” He hesitated, eyes narrowed. “Do you want to _believe_ that you’re human?”

Jack shook his head. “I like knowing the truth. Don’t worry about it; I’ll sort through everything after a while.” He smiled reassuringly, and Mark blinked owlishly before jotting something down.

“Okay, well… I don’t want to expose you to too much before you’re ready, but let me know when you want to see the rest of the house. There’s quite a bit to entertain you, and eventually I’ll be able to take you outside.”

Jack nodded, silently turning back to the window and looking on intently as the raindrops slid down it. Mark watched him for a few more moments before standing up and exiting the small bedroom.

\-----

“Shit!” Mark dropped his bag on the ground and rushed into the kitchen, fluttering nervous around Jack. “I knew I shouldn’t have left you alone so soon after opening the rest of the house up! Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“What the hell happened here?” he asked, looking around at the flour covering every surface (including Jack).

The robot grinned sheepishly and shrugged. “I may have overestimated my ability to bake from theoretical knowledge alone.”

“You were trying to bake?”

“Yes.”

“How did you even manage to make _this much_ of a mess?”

Jack bit his lip nervously, but relaxed slightly when he noticed Mark’s shoulders shaking with restrained laughter. He gestured to the nearly empty bag on the counter. “I tried to open it, but pulled too hard and ripped the whole thing.”

The engineer finally let go, loud, full-bellied laughter filling the house. Jack responded with a small smile, standing in the midst of the chaos for a few moments. Then he left, returning with a broom, and began cleaning. “I may need your help to get the flour off of myself. I’m worried that water may cause damage to my wiring, and I’m not sure how else to get _all_ of it off.”

“Oh, right.” Mark stood up straight, laughter dying down to the occasional quiet giggle. “I forgot to tell you; your skin is waterproof and sealed pretty damn tight. Water shouldn’t be able to cause any damage at all. We might want to cover up your power button with some plastic just in case, though.”

“Alright. Ah—can I have a washcloth, then?”

Mark rubbed the bridge of his nose, more giggles spilling from his lips. “How about I just show you how to shower instead? It’s going to take forever if you’re basically trying to give yourself a sponge bath every time you need to get clean.”

“I know how to shower!” Jack said defensively, a blush rising on his face.

Mark held his hands up, backing off. “Right, right! Of course you do! I’ll just set out a towel and some clean clothes for you, then.”

“…Alright.”

\-----

“Hey, Sean.”

“Hello, Wade.”

“Whoa, you actually remember me? I haven’t seen you since the day you ‘woke up!’”

“Of course I do,” Jack said with a chuckle. “You’re one of Mark’s closest friends.”

“Aww…”

“Besides, Mark created me with a perfect memory. I remember every detail of my time since I was turned on… Even those that I would rather not,” he added, voice turning slightly bitter.

“The flour incident?” Wade guessed with a laugh.

“Yes, and…” He hesitated, averting his gaze.

“And…?” Wade prodded.

“After that, Mark offered to teach me how to shower. It was… embarrassing.”

“Huh.” The other man said nothing more, instead sitting down and observing Jack with interest.

“What?”

“Do you… Nah.”

“ _What?_ ” Jack asked again, more insistently.

“Never mind, it’s nothing. You’re just even more like a human than I first thought.”

“Okay…” The confused tone was clear, but Wade didn’t offer any more of an explanation.

“Well, I just came in to say hi. Mark and I are playing some video games in the living room. You’re welcome to join us if you want.”

“Am I…?” Jack asked doubtfully.

“Of course,” Wade answered, patting his shoulder. “You know, you may be Mark’s creation, but he sees you as a friend, too.”

\-----

“Mark!” Jack screamed, reaching out on reflex. The car swerved, but it was too late. The owner stopped the car and jumped out, a cry falling from her lips when she saw the man laying prone in the road. She dialed 911 on her cell phone as Jack crawled into the road, resting Mark’s head in his lap.

He somehow felt numb and dizzy and terrified all at once. His breath was coming too fast, too shallow, but that didn’t matter. All that mattered was getting Mark to safety.

He couldn’t move. Why couldn’t he move? He needed to get Mark somewhere safe.

He wasn’t sure how much time passed, but at some point an ambulance appeared. They gently pried Mark away from him, laying him on a stretcher. They gave Jack sympathetic looks and asked if he wanted to ride in the ambulance. He followed, sat down, and stared blankly at the blood on his hands and pants.

\-----

“Don’t you ever fucking dare scare me like that again!” The tears that had been mysteriously absent the entire time Mark was unconscious suddenly started falling, and Jack wiped at them irritably.

“You’re crying,” Mark said, awe tinting his hoarse voice. “You were really scared.”

“Of course I was, you fucking idiot! You could’ve died!”

“You know, there was a lot of trial and error, but I’m glad I finally got it right with you,” he said, reaching to wipe Jack’s tears away.

“That doesn’t matter right now!” the robot said, swatting his arm away. “Promise me you’ll be more careful from now on! I can’t lose you!”

Mark’s brows furrowed, but he nodded. “I’ll be more careful. I promise.”

Jack nodded, swallowing thickly. Then he gave in and leaned to hug Mark, sobbing into his shoulder. “I’m so glad you’re okay…”

Mark pushed past the pain in his body and hugged back with one arm, eyes narrowed at the ceiling in confusion. “Yeah. I’m okay. I’m right here, Jack…”

\-----

“You promised to never scare me like that again!”

Mark sighed, rolling his eyes. “You’re being _way_ too overdramatic.”

“You could’ve gotten hurt!” Jack argued, making an incomprehensible gesture of frustration.

“Hold still,” Mark scolded. He glared but complied as Mark worked to fix his arm. “Now, as I was saying, you’re being dramatic. Someone pushed you into me. We fell. It wouldn’t have been a problem if—”

“What if you’d fallen into the road?”

“We didn’t fall into the road,” he said, voice softening. He’d made a full recovery, but Jack got anxious nearly every time they went outside. “It wouldn’t have been a problem if you hadn’t flipped us around to cushion the blow. At worst, I would’ve scraped up my hands and elbows or something, but… It just cut right through your skin,” Mark added, peering at the gashes and exposed wires in Jack’s arms.

“Better for me to take the damage than you. Besides, I don’t have any pain receptors.”

“Yeah, well… Maybe I should give you some, just so you’ll be a bit more careful. You need thicker skin, too. Literally,” he added when Jack glared at him. Smirking, he said, “And figuratively.”

They fell silent as Mark continued patching him up. Jack watched him for a while before quietly asking, “Could you ever love something you created?”

The question came out of seemingly nowhere, but Mark didn’t show any sign of surprise. This, in turn, didn’t really surprise Jack. When you carefully analyzed every word and action someone made, you were bound to see their feelings.

Mark continued to work quietly for a few more minutes. Just as Jack was about to give up any hope of getting an answer, he said, “I don’t know.”

\-----

“I want to try something. A new experience that I think will enrich my learning.” Jack knew that it was manipulative wording, that it would make Mark curious and more open to the idea. He did it anyway.

“What is it?” Mark asked, turning away from the stove to face him.

Jack stepped into his space, leaning forward to press their lips together. He laid one hand on Mark’s cheek, the other tightening in his shirt. Mark was still for a moment, then gently pushed him away.

“Jack, this isn’t right…” he said mournfully. Before he could say anything more, Jack made his escape, locking himself in the bedroom.

\-----

It took six days to come to a decision.

Six days.

Six days of a silent house, six days of tears, six days of feeling his nonexistent heart shatter all over again every time he looked at Mark.

Jack entered the bedroom, locking the door behind him and resting against it for a moment. He took a few deep breaths, then moved to the desk. He sat down and pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil from the drawers to leave himself a note for after he forgot.

_DESTROY THE CHIP IN YOUR HAND, THEN TURN OFF YOUR POWER!!! THE BUTTON BEHIND YOUR EAR!!!_

“Even if he turns me back on, he’ll have to start over,” Jack muttered to himself. “And I won’t feel this way anymore.”

Most of his being was stored in the form of electrical impulses in his head, much like a human’s brain. But the memory chip, filled with all the experiences he’d had since being woken up… Fittingly enough, that was stored in an easy-to-access panel in his chest, right where a heart would be if he had one. Jack pulled off his shirt, opened the panel, and took one more deep breath to steady his shaking hand.

Then he ejected the chip.

\-----

“Hello, Jack.”

Why did his creator look so sad and lost? That wasn’t a very nice sight to wake up to…

“Hello, Mark… Is ‘Jack’ my name?”


	4. Broomstick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tbh, I’m not very happy with this one. It kinda just feels rambly and weird, but… Here ya go, I guess.
> 
> I used the extended prompt again today:  
> Broomstick  
> “One more word, Jack. One more wise crack about my flying skills and this broomstick is going up your ass.”  
> “I’m kink shaming.” 
> 
> Warnings, obviously, for swearing and innuendo.

“Okay, let’s try this one more time,” Jack says, giggling. Mark sighs but climbs back onto his broomstick again. “Now, you have to like… Fuck, I don’t know how to explain it. Channel your magic into the broom?”

“I know how to get off the ground, asshole,” Mark says. He demonstrates this fact, lifting his feet up and hovering up a few feet in the air.

“Right. Um, okay, so… You have to like… Point it where you wanna go, and lean into the turns.”

“You’re a shitty teacher.”

“I’m sorry!” Jack says, exasperated. “Flying just comes naturally to me! I don’t know how to teach it, but I’m doing the best I can, okay?”

“Alright, alright. How about you give me another demonstration, and I’ll just try to follow your lead?”

“Now _that_ I can do,” he agrees. He does a quick lap of the field and returns to the starting point. “See what I mean about leaning into the turns?” Mark nods. “Okay, now you try.”

The other teen takes a deep breath and starts forward too fast. “Shit! You haven’t taught me how to control my speed!” he calls back.

“Just go with it!” Jack says, laughing. “A little speed won’t kill you!”

Mark growls but doesn’t bother replying. As he approaches the tree line, he starts to turn his broom, pointing it to the left. “Lean into the turn,” he mutters to himself. He follows the direction, and suddenly he’s hanging upside down, clinging to the broom with hands and knees. He lets out an embarrassingly unmanly yelp, and a moment later he’s on the ground. Though he wasn’t high enough to do any real damage, it knocks the breath out of him.

Mark sprawls out and focuses on getting his breath back, closing his eyes. When he opens them again, Jack is standing over him with a raised eyebrow and a poorly hidden smirk. “I know you’re trying, but you suck at this.”

“I think I just leaned too much,” Mark says wryly, ignoring the jab.

“Gee, ya think?”

“Gimme just a minute, and then we can try again.”

“You _really_ want this, don’t you?”

“Of course,” he says. He accepts the hand Jack offers to pull him up and dusts the dirt off his clothes. “I’m pretty sure I’m the only wizard our age who can’t fly properly yet.”

“Alright. Let’s go again.”

Mark nods determinedly. “Okay, so just… Lean, but not too much this time.”

“Right,” Jack agrees, trying to sound confident but wishing he had more tips to share.

Mark gets back into the air and starts off again. He leans more carefully this time and actually makes the curve. Jack claps, wolf-whistling and cheering for him. Mark grins proudly, but realizes another problem just a bit too late. “How do I stop?” he asks frantically, lowering his feet closer to the ground. He glances back to his friend, but before he can get an answer, he runs smack dab into a tree.

Jack cringes, moving to stand over him again. He looks down at the pitiful lump that is his friend and sighs. “I really hope you’re better at driving than you are at flying. If not, they should really revoke your license.”

“One more word, Jack. One more wise crack about my flying skills and this broomstick is going up your ass.”

“I’m kink shaming.”

“Please, you’d love it,” Mark says, sitting up with a wink.

Jack gives him an unamused look, but his face flushes automatically and Mark laughs. “I should just leave you out here in the middle of the woods by yourself.”

The other boy jolts and puts on a face that he hopes is properly repentant. “Please don’t. I’m sorry, Jack!”

“You better be, you earth-bound freak,” he says sticking his tongue out.

“You’re so mean,” Mark says with a pout.

“Aw, it’s okay. We can try again another time, after we make sure you aren’t concussed or something. Or maybe you can just start riding my broom instead.”

Mark squints suspiciously. It was a seemingly innocent suggestion, but something about the way Jack said it made it just sound dirty. “…This is some sort of weird revenge, isn’t it?”

“Of course,” Jack says, smiling brightly. “Now let’s get outta here.”

Mark stands up, then freezes as he realizes something. “I _actually_ have to ride on the back of your broom, don’t I?”

“Unless you’d rather walk,” he answers dubiously. When his friend still hesitates, he rolls his eyes. “It’s not like you’ve never done it before! Now come on, ya big baby!”

“Ugh, fine,” Mark says, climbing on behind Jack. One hand holds onto his waist carefully, and the other holds his own broomstick.

“Ready?”

Mark eyes the forest in front of them, swallowing nervously. If anyone could get them through there safely, though, it was Jack. And he’d get them through at breakneck speeds, too. “…Yeah.”

“And… Off we go!”


	5. Spell Casting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is in the same universe as the one I wrote for Broomstick, which is… Yeah, you caught me, it’s basically a Harry Potter AU. I have taken a few liberties with that world, though, as you may have noticed. And no, this won’t be the last we see of it. :)
> 
> Once again, I decided to use the extended prompt today:  
> Spell casting  
> “That uh… that didn’t go how I thought it would.”

“What the fuck did you do to me, Jack?” Mark asked shrilly.

Jack cringed and braced himself for the punch that his friend looked ready to throw. “That uh… that didn’t go how I thought it would.”

“What did you do?” he repeated.

“Nothing?” Jack said, but he didn’t sound entirely sure.

“Bullshit! You were casting some sort of spell on me!”

“Seriously, I didn’t do anything to you… I mean, you don’t feel weird or anything, right?” he asked, partially to reassure Mark and partially to confirm for himself.

Mark took a minute to assess his own body before slowly admitting, “…No, I don’t think so…”

“See? No harm, no foul!”

“You’re not going to tell me, are you?”

“Never.”

Mark squinted suspiciously, but Jack just grinned at him with faux innocence. After a minute, he rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”

\-----

Jack was staring into the common room fire later that night when Bob plopped down onto the couch next to him and made him jump. “For fuck’s sake, Bob! Warn a guy!”

The other boy chuckled. “It’s not like I tried to sneak up on you. Lost in thought?”

“Yeah, guess you could say that,” Jack answered with a sigh. He shifted positions, pulling his knees up to his chest and resting his chin on them.

“Let me guess… This about the spell you tried to cast on Mark earlier?”

“He told you?” he asked, his tone resigned.

“Well, yeah… He was really confused. And he kind of felt betrayed. One of his closest friends cast a spell on him and won’t even tell him what it was. Doesn’t that seem kind of suspicious?”

“…Yeah, I guess so.”

“Now, I’ve got my suspicions already, but… Do you wanna tell me what it was?”

“No…”

“Are you sure? You obviously need someone to talk to,” Bob said, his eyes crinkling with withheld laughter. “I promise I won’t tell Mark.”

“Fine…” Jack bit his lip, hesitating. Then he buried his face in his arms, words coming out muffled.

“What was that?” Bob asked, his amusement clear

Jack lifted his head and, not looking at the other boy, said quietly, “So I kind of have this stupid crush on Mark.”

“Well, duh.”

“What?” He whipped his head around to face Bob, who finally let out a loud guffaw.

“Dude, everyone but Mark himself has known that for years. We’re not _all_ blind.”

“…Oh.” Jack blushed and turned away again. “Well, um… Okay. Uh. Well, it was…” His voice shrunk, tinted with shame. “It was supposed to be a love spell.”

“Hmm…”

“You don’t have to tell me that was wrong, okay? I already know, and I won’t do it again! It just… It was just a really dumb, spur-of-the-moment decision because… Because I was hurting, and I’m so tired of feeling like this and knowing that he’ll never feel the same. It’s the best fucking feeling in the world, but it’s also the worst, most painful one, too,” he said, voice breaking at the end. He buried his face in his arms again, and Bob patted his back.

“It seems like maybe ‘stupid crush’ was a bit of an understatement,” he suggested gently.

“…Yeah.”

“Look, Jack… I’m not here to scold you for trying to cast a spell on him or something. You already know it was wrong, and you’re already feeling guilty enough. So long as you don’t have any plans to do it again…” Bob paused, tone questioning as he waited for a confirmation.

Jack shook his head. “No, never. It was stupid, and I’m an ass for even trying it.”

“Alright. So, the real reason I’m here is to say that… Yeah, maybe you messed up the spell. Or maybe there’s another reason that someone wouldn’t change the way they acted when they got hit with a love spell.”

Jack took a minute to process this before peeking out at Bob. “…What?” he asked hesitantly, heart racing at the implications. When the other boy just continued staring at him, he swallowed and sat up the rest of the way. “…You aren’t serious, are you?”

Bob shrugged and patted his back one more time. “Just think about it,” he said, standing up and stretching. “Now, I’m gonna go get some sleep. I suggest you do the same pretty soon.”

“I’m not sure I can,” Jack said, feeling like his world had just been turned upside-down. Excitement, disbelief, embarrassment, happiness, terror, confusion, anticipation… Every emotion seemed to be rushing through him all at once, and none of them stayed long enough for him to grab hold of it. “Thanks for giving me something to consider, Bob.”

“No problem. G’night, Jack.”

Jack turned back to the fire and let out a long breath. “Goodnight.”

“And good luck with tomorrow, whatever you decide to do.”

“Thanks. I think I might need it.”


	6. Cauldron

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a continuation of yesterday’s ficlet. It might be the last one in that “series”; I’m not entirely sure yet. It’s at least the last one for now, though.

“What are we even supposed to be making?” Jack whispered.

Mark laughed. “You weren’t paying any attention at all, were you?”

“No, I’ve been… Kind of distracted today.”

“Shrinking solution.” Mark set about preparing the ingredients, no longer looking at or talking to the other boy.

Jack sighed, watching Mark’s profile. “Look, I… I’m really sorry about yesterday, okay?”

“Why won’t you just tell me what it was? I mean, you were trying to pull some kind of prank on me, right? It’s not like I’ll hate you for a dumb joke. Was it really so horrible that you can’t even say it? Why would you do something like that?”

Jack flinched at the words. “You really think I would do something that bad?”

Mark was silent for a minute, and then his whole body seemed to sag. “No. At least, I normally wouldn’t, but… What else am I supposed to think when you won’t even tell me what the hell you did to me?”

He started tossing the ingredients into the cauldron, and Jack stirred it. He looked at Mark’s reflection on the liquid’s surface and sighed. “Okay.”

“Okay?” Mark finally looked at him, confusion written all over his face, and Jack shrugged.

“Okay. I’ll tell you.”

“Finally!”

“But not now. Not here.”

Mark’s eyebrows furrowed, but he nodded. “Alright. After class, at our spot?”

“Sure.” They turned their attention back to the potion, but Jack was just relieved to have his friend talking to him again.

\-----

Jack was pacing back and forth when Mark found him at their spot behind one of the oldest buildings. They always went there because nobody else did, and being in different Houses limited some of the places they could hang out.

Mark sat down unnoticed and watched Jack for a minute before saying, “Stop pacing, you’re making me dizzy.”

Jack jumped, turning to face him. “Right. Sorry,” he said, sitting down against the wall about a few feet away. Mark frowned but said nothing.

“So…” Jack groaned, scrubbing his hands over his face. “Okay, first of all, before I say anything else… I’m sorry, Mark. Really, really sorry.”

Mark watched him with wide eyes. “What the hell did you do that has you freaking out this much?”

“I—Ugh, I guess it’d be best to just say it and get it over with.” He rolled his head back against the wall, looking to the sky and letting his breath out in one long rush. “It was a love spell.”

“W-what? Why? …Who?” Mark stuttered. His mind seemed to catch on the last question, and he asked, “Who the hell did you want me to fall in love with? Is there some girl that likes me, and you wanted to play matchmaker or something?”

Jack shook his head frantically. Biting his lip, he answered quietly, “…Me.”

“ _You?_ ” he repeated incredulously. “But why? Were you trying to make me your fucking slave? Did you need me to do something for you, and you couldn’t just _ask_ for some reason? Or did you just wanna humiliate me?”

His voice was growing louder and angrier with every word, and Jack suddenly wished he’d kept some of the Shrinking Solution so he could just disappear without Mark noticing. “No! No, Mark! I would never purposefully hurt you like that, I swear!”

“Then why?!”

“…Because I love you,” he admitted, staring sadly at the ground in front of him. There was a long silence, but he didn’t want to look up and see the expression on the other boy’s face. When it became clear that Mark had nothing to say, Jack sighed and continued. “You know, you should really set Bob straight on a few things. When I talked to him last night, he implied that the stupid spell didn’t work because you already loved me,” he said, trying to hide the way his breath hitched at the end.

There was another long silence, but eventually Mark quietly said, “Or maybe he was right.”

Jack’s eyes widened, his brain stuttering over the sentence. After a minute, he turned to stare at Mark, who was blushing brightly. He could feel a matching heat on his own cheeks. “…What?” he asked hoarsely.

Mark swallowed. “I-um… I love you too,” he said, but it almost sounded like a question.

“Really?” Jack asked over the sound of his own pounding heart. Mark nodded, and he made no attempt to hide the grin growing on his face. “Oh thank god.”

Before Mark could speak again, Jack grabbed his lapels and pulled him into a kiss. The smile Mark gave him when they parted was beautiful; he wished he could imprint it in his mind permanently. It didn’t take long for the world to come crashing down around them, though. “No… Oh, fuck…” Jack muttered, his face falling. “How do I know this isn’t just because of the spell?”

“Jack. Jack, calm down,” Mark said, laying a hand on his cheek. “I’ve been in love with you since our second year. Maybe a spell can make you feel infatuated, but I don’t think it could implant years of memories in your head.”

“Right… I’m sure you’re right, but… Maybe we can look up a reversal, just in case?”

“If it’ll ease your mind.”

“It will. Thank you.”

“Okay. But it won’t change anything, I promise.”


	7. Witch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was another fic that got quite a bit longer than I expected. And yes, I know the prompt "Witch" probably would have been perfect for the HP AU; that’s actually exactly why I didn’t do it lol
> 
> I seem to keep forgetting that this challenge is supposed to be Halloween-themed. Oops. This one actually kind of gets back to that theme, but I’m not gonna fight it if future ideas aren’t related. I’m just gonna let the plot bunnies do what they will. 
> 
> Anyways, here ya go! Warnings this time for cross-dressing, Mark being uncomfortable and kind of judge-y about said cross-dressing, and sexually suggestive but not explicit content.

“Hey, you ready for the party?”

“Um, almost. I just need to get my costume on.” Jack moved aside, gesturing for Mark to come inside. “It might take a bit, so… Make yourself at home.”

“’Kay.” Jack disappeared into the bedroom, and Mark sat down on the couch. After a few minutes, though, he started getting fidgety. He got up and got himself a glass of water, sitting back down and pulling out his fake fangs to drink it.

A bit later, Jack finally emerged, and Mark choked on his water. He spluttered for a few seconds before managing to spit out, “What the hell are you wearing?”

“My costume,” the other man said as though it were obvious. “I’m a witch! What, does it not look good?”

“Uh, I—It…” Mark trailed off, looking Jack up and down. The costume was black with green details. A pointy hat was perched on his head, and the top had obviously been made for someone with boobs, but a few adjustments made that nearly unnoticeable. What really caught his eye, though, was the short tulle skirt and the heart-patterned pantyhose underneath it. Mark forced his eyes back up to Jack’s expectant grin and asked helplessly, “How do you expect me to answer that?”

Jack shrugged with a laugh. “I don’t, really.”

“Good. But… Are you really sure you wanna wear that out?”

He shrugged again. “Why not? Halloween’s the night to be who you aren’t, right?”

“I suppose…” Mark stood up and made his way back to the entrance to meet him. “If you’re comfortable with it, then I’ve got no right to judge.”

“Damn right you don’t. At least _I_ put some effort into my costume,” Jack said, tugging at Mark’s cape with an unimpressed look.

“I’ll give you that,” he admitted. On closer inspection, Jack had also taken the time to carefully apply mascara, red lipstick, and… “Are you wearing a wig?”

“Extensions. I did them beforehand and hid them under my hat,” Jack said, laughing and pulling lightly at a green lock. “It took way too fucking long, and it feels weird.”

“ _That’s_ what feels weird,” Mark repeated, deadpan.

“Yep!” Jack answered, feigning ignorance. He bent over to put on his shoes, and Mark nearly choked again, quickly averting his eyes.

“That’s not fair,” Mark said when Jack was standing upright again.

“What’s not?”

“You’re taller than me now,” he said, annoyed with the fact that he had to look up to meet Jack’s eyes. He glanced back down, and his eyes lingered for a few moments on the heeled thigh-high boots. Suddenly sure that this would be the night he died, Mark sighed. “Let’s just get going.”

“Good idea. I think we’re gonna be late.”

“And whose fault is that?”

“Shut up! It takes time to look this good!” Jack said, smacking his arm and laughing. Mark didn’t have a decent reply.

\-----

When they got to the party, they were grabbed by different friends and separated. Though Mark was spirited away by Felix to try out some new horror game, his gaze kept drifting back to Jack on the other side of the room.

“Hello? Earth to Mark!” Felix called, waving a hand in front of his face as he paused the game.

“Huh?” Mark jumped and smacked the hand away.

“Dude, you’ve been staring at him for like, five minutes straight.”

“I’m worried about him,” Mark said, biting his lip. “He’s got girls and guys alike all over him tonight.”

“Jack’s always got people all over him,” his friend answered, chuckling.

“Yeah, well… He’s wearing a fucking dress tonight. Someone might try to take advantage or something.”

Felix’s face softened. “Look, Mark. I’m sure he’ll be fine. Jack can handle himself. A _skirt_ isn’t going to suddenly make him weak.”

“That’s not what I meant!” Mark groaned and ran a hand through his hair. Unpausing the game, he said, “Never mind, just forget it.”

“Alright…”

They continued playing, but Mark’s eyes still kept wandering. Eventually, Felix groaned, finally giving up on keeping his attention. “For fuck’s sake, man, just go make a move already!”

“What are you talking about?”

“This isn’t about protecting Jack.” When Mark made a move to object, he held up a hand and corrected himself. “Or at least, it’s only _partly_ about protecting him. If you’re getting so hot and bothered over him, _please_ just do everyone a favor and stop pretending that you aren’t!”

“I— _what?!_ ”

“Just go!” he said, shoving Mark off the couch.

He stood before he could be pushed onto the floor, glancing between Felix and Jack with wide eyes. “What are you talking about?”

Felix groaned loudly and rolled his eyes. “You can stop playing dumb now, Mark. It’s getting pretty old. Just go make out already.”

“But—”

“Uh-uh.” He mimed zipping his lips. “I’m done talking to you until you stop acting so in denial and do something about your fucking perpetual boner for Jack.”

“I—”

“Done,” Felix repeated emphatically. He turned back to the television, putting a clear end to the conversation.

Mark swallowed and headed towards the kitchen, wishing he could have a beer. Before he got there, Wade stopped him, catching him by the arm. “He’s got a point, you know.”

“Not you too,” Mark moaned.

“Sorry,” Wade said with a sheepish grin. “Felix was being pretty loud; I couldn’t help but overhear.”

“Great. Good to know that everyone heard that disaster of a conversation.”

“Not _everyone_ …” he answered, smiling mischievously. “Mark, you know that nobody’s gonna judge you, right?” Mark made a noncommittal sound, and he frowned. “Just go for it, buddy. I’ve been watching you silently moon over Jack for months, and I think it’s about time to actually do something about it. You’ll never know if you don’t try, right?”

Mark searched his friend’s face, but found nothing but sincerity. “…Yeah. Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“Good!” Wade said, slapping his back. Pointing, he added, “Now would probably be a good time. He’s finally on his own.”

“But what do I say? What do I do?”

He shrugged. “You’re on your own with that. Sorry.”

“Fuck you!” Mark said as Wade gently shoved him in Jack’s direction. He could hear the other man’s laughter behind him, but he let himself continue with the momentum until he reached Jack.

“Hey,” Jack said, smiling as he approached. “Crazy party, huh? So many people!”

“Only around you,” Mark muttered. He looked up (and that was definitely still weird, but not necessarily in a bad way), and as always, his breath caught when he met Jack’s bright eyes.

“Huh?”

“Nothing,” Mark answered, shaking his head. “Look, Jack…”

“Yeah?”

“I… Uh…” Mark rolled his eyes to the ceiling and groaned in frustration. “Oh, fuck it,” he said, leaning forward to kiss Jack. Just as he started to panic about the absolutely terrible decision, Jack smiled against his lips and wound a hand in his hair, kissing back.

“Fuckin’ _finally_ ,” Jack said with a laugh when they parted.

“Huh?” Mark replied intelligently, wondering when his hands had ended up on Jack’s hips.

“I’ve been trying to get you to notice me for-fuckin’-ever, Mark,” he said, his smile falling a bit. He gestured to his costume. “This was kind of a last-ditch attempt. I knew that if _this_ didn’t catch your attention, then nothin’ would.”

“What do you mean?”

“We’ll, it’s not exactly a secret that you’re only into women. Thought maybe it’d change your mind,” Jack answered, looking slightly ashamed of himself.

Mark’s brows furrowed. “Jack… I was interested in you way before tonight. While the dress…” he paused, raking his eyes down the other man’s body again before continuing, “certainly doesn’t hurt, you’ve had my attention for a _long_ time.”

“Really?” he asked, looking surprised. Mark nodded, and he huffed out a short breath. “Wow. Okay then. That’s… That’s good.”

“Mmhmm…” Mark was staring at his lips, where the makeup was slightly smudged, and Jack took the hint, pulling him back in.

“So, you’re telling me that we could’ve been doing this forever ago?” Jack whispered against his lips. When Mark nodded, he laughed. “Guess we better make up for lost time then, huh?” He kissed Mark again, slipping his tongue past his lips.

Mark moaned quietly, one hand slowly drifting down Jack’s thigh to the hem of his skirt. After a minute, he pulled back just a bit. Swallowing, he asked, “Do you, uh—Maybe wanna go somewhere more private?”

“Your place?” Jack suggested. Mark nodded in agreement, but Jack hesitated, biting his lip. “Wait. You… You aren’t drunk, are you?”

“Can’t drink, remember?”

“Oh. Right.”

“Are you?”

Jack shook his head, lifting up the bottle of beer he’d been holding in one hand. “Just the one, and I didn’t even finish it.”

“Okay. Good.”

“Right, then…” Jack’s smile returned, and he set the bottle down, taking Mark’s hand instead. “Let’s get out of here.”

Together, they made their way through the house, Mark supporting Jack as he wobbled just a bit in his heels. They made it to the door, and left to the somewhat embarrassing sound of their friends’ cheers echoing behind them.


	8. Cobwebs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What does this have to do with cobwebs? Absolutely nothing. I’m sorry. The word is literally mentioned once.
> 
> I used the extended prompt again for this one:  
> Cobwebs  
> “Wow, that’s creepy.”  
> “If there is a spider on me, Mark, I swear to God I’m going to murder you.”
> 
> This one is… Kind of a horror story? I don’t know. It’s really not scary to be honest; it’s more of a bad ghost story.

“I dare you to…” Wade trailed off thoughtfully. A moment later, his eyes lit up. “Spend the night in that haunted house across the street!”

Mark scoffed. “It’s not haunted, Wade. That’s just a stupid rumor someone started because it’s empty for like 30 years.”

“Then you shouldn’t have any problem with it,” Bob said, snickering.

“You mean aside from the fact that it’s illegal.”

“Well, okay, there is that…” he admitted. “But do you really think the cops will check that old place?”

“…Probably not.”

“How about this? We’ll even let you take Jack with you as backup.”

“What?” Jack squawked. “Don’t drag me into this!”

“Backup for _what_?” Mark asked. “There’s nothing in that house!”

“Well, just in case,” Wade said. “I agree with Bob; you should take him with you.”

Mark rolled his eyes. “Fine, whatever.”

“Excuse me? I said don’t drag me into this!”

\-----

“…I can’t believe you dragged me into this.”

“Blame Bob and Wade,” Mark said. He jiggled the doorknob with a sigh. “Of course it’s locked. Let’s check the windows.”

“Alright…”

As they tested the windows, Mark continued, “Anyways, we’ll just go in there, lay our sleeping bags out on the dusty ass floor, sleep through the night, and then hold it over their heads for all time.”

Jack laughed. “Okay. Oh, hey, I got this one open!”

“Awesome!” Mark said, appearing at his side. They tossed their sleeping bags through the window and clambered in after them. “Living room. Perfect.”

“Uh, Mark?”

“Yeah?”

“…Why is there still furniture here?”

Mark paused before saying unsurely, “Well, some houses are sold prefurnished, right? And it’s not like it’s been used lately,” he added, swiping a finger through the dust on the coffee table.

“I don’t think this is what they mean by ‘pre-furnished,’” Jack objected, looking at a shelf crammed full with books. He shuddered. “Let’s just get this over with.”

“Right.” They laid out their bags and sat on top of them, talking for a while. Eventually they ran out of things to say, and Mark sighed. “We should’ve brought something to do.”

“Yeah.”

“Wanna explore?”

“No!”

“Oh, come on! This is so boring!”

“Nope,” Jack repeated, laying down. He linked his hands behind his head and stared pointedly at the ceiling.

Mark fidgeted restlessly for a few minutes before declaring, “Fine. I’ll go by myself then.”

He stood, and Jack bolted upright, grabbing his arm. He let out an awkward cough and said, “We should stick together. You know, just in case.”

“Don’t tell me you actually believe that bullshit about the ghosts,” Mark said, rolling his eyes.

“No!” Blushing, Jack said quietly, “You just can’t be too careful.”

“Whatever. If you wanna stick together, then just come with me.”

“…Fine.” Jack stood up and followed Mark into the hallway.

“Fuck, it’s dark in here.”

“What did you expect? There’s no electricity, and no windows in the hall. Even the light in the other rooms won’t last long; the sun’s setting.”

“Damn. I really wanted to check this place out.”

Jack gnawed on his lip for a minute, then ran back to the living room. He returned a moment later and hesitantly handed Mark a flashlight. “At least one of us thinks ahead.”

“Yes! You’re the best, Jack!” Jack gave a small smile at the praise and followed Mark into another room. This one was empty, but Mark settled the beam of light on a hatch in the ceiling.

“Mark, no…” Jack groaned, already knowing that it was useless.

Sure enough, the other boy walked directly under the square and stood on his toes to catch the string. He pulled it and grinned at Jack as a ladder slid down. “C’mon, ya wimp, let’s check out the attic.”

“I’d really rather not,” he said, but it was only a token objection at this point. A moment later, he was following Mark up the ladder and crawling through cobwebs. He grimaced and smacked away as many as he could.

“Wow, that’s creepy,” Mark said ahead of him, standing up where the roof slanted enough to do so.

Ignoring him, Jack said, “If there is a spider on me, Mark, I swear to god I’m going to murder you.”

“That’s really not important right now, Jack,” he said, gesturing for him forward. “What’s important is how fucking creepy this room is.”

Jack stood up, and Mark finally moved so he could see around him. “…Wow. Holy fuck.”

“Yeah.” They stared in awe and terror at the dozens of dolls lining the walls, and Mark shivered.

“Maybe we should get out of here. This is not worth the stupid dare.”

The redhead hesitated a bit longer this time before answering. “…No. No, we’re already here, we’re not gonna lose this. Besides, it’s not like anything has actually _happened._ An overenthusiastic little girl probably just had too many dolls, and they got stored up here and forgotten about.”

“Uh-huh…” Jack drawled doubtfully. “Well then, we should at least get out of the attic.”

“Now _that_ I can agree with.”

They climbed back down, and Mark led the way toward the kitchen. The flashlight started flickering, and he stopped and shook it. “Ah, fuck…”

“You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

“Uh, just a second, I think I ca—” His voice died suddenly, along with the light. A moment later, there was a heavy thud as the flashlight hit the ground.

“What happened?” Jack asked. There was no answer, and he got down on his hands and knees to search for the light. He found it after a few seconds and flipped it on. “What the hell? It’s working just fine now…”

Jack shone the light back and forth, finding only kitchen appliances and a table. He stood back up, turning in a slow circle. “Mark?” he called, voice shaking. “Mark!” There was still no response, so he turned to backtrack.

“AHHHH!” Mark yelled, jumping out from behind the wall as he exited the room.

Jack stumbled backward, one hand to his chest. “Oh, fuck you!” he yelled shrilly. “I fuckin’ hate you, Mark!”

The other boy was doubled over in laughter. “Oh Christ!” he said between wheezes. “You shoulda seen the look on your face! That was fucking priceless!”

“I hate you,” Jack repeated, stalking past him. He went back to the living room and plopped down on his sleeping bag.

Mark followed a minute later, his laughter dying down into shaky breaths. “I’m sorry,” he said, shooting puppy dog eyes at Jack.

“No you aren’t, ya dirty fuckin’ liar.”

“No, I’m really not,” he agreed with a giggle.

They fell into silence for a long while, Jack sulking and Mark trying to calm himself. Eventually, Jack stood up with a sigh. “I need to take a piss.”

“You realize there won’t be running water, right?”

“Yeah, well, who’s gonna notice if I don’t flush the toilet?”

“True…”

Jack left the room, and Mark called out after him, “You forgot the fla—” A loud crash sounded, followed by a moan. A few seconds later, there was a quiet sob. Mark stood up, rolling his eyes.

“Really, Jack? I know you’re pissed, but _this_ is how you’re gonna get back a—” He cut himself off as he exited the room, swallowing nervously. His heart pounded in his ears as he stared at the girl near the end of the hall. She had light skin, but dark hair and eyes, and a white nightgown flowed around her legs. She stared directly at him, expressionless, as she pointed to the floor. Mark looked where she was pointing and saw a hole in the floor. From below it, he could hear Jack groaning. His gaze moved back to the girl, who continued watching him silently. She began to flicker, and then she was gone entirely.

Mark stood frozen in place for another minute, until another sound from under the floorboards drew his attention. He leapt into action, rushing forward and kneeling by the hole. “Jack?” he called.

“I’m here,” Jack said. He reached up, and his hand appeared in the flashlight’s beam.

“Okay, uh…” Mark set the light aside and laid down. “Grab both my hands, and I’m gonna try to pull you up.”

“Okay…”

It took a few tries, and some more alarmingly pained sounds from Jack, but they eventually got him up. “Are you okay?” Mark asked worriedly.

Jack frowned but nodded. “Yeah, I think so. The fall fucked up my ankle, though.”

“Is it broken?”

“I don’t think so, but I’m not sure. Probably just a bad sprain. Help me back to the living room?”

“I think we should just get out of here instead.”

“Mark, I can’t climb out the window like this.”

“Well, we should be able to get out the front door, right? Shouldn’t it lock from the inside? Just… Hold on a second,” Mark said frantically. He propped Jack up against the wall and ran to the door. His breath caught as he realized that there was no lock at all. “What the fuck?” he muttered, attempting to turn the knob. It didn’t budge.

“So?” Jack prompted.

“Nothing,” he answered nervously. He rushed back to his friend’s side, pulling Jack’s arm over his shoulders and helping him limp back to their sleeping bags. He carefully helped him sit down and then fell beside him. “Fuck.”

“It’s okay, Mark. I’m not gonna die overnight from a sprained ankle.” Jack paused, squinting as he finally noticed how pale the other boy was and how much he was sweating. “…Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I just…” Mark forced a smile. If Jack hadn’t seen the little girl, then there was no reason to scare him further. “I was just really worried about you.”

Jack smiled back. “Well, I’ll be fine. Let’s just sleep it off for now. I think this has been more than enough adventure for one day.”

Mark nodded his agreement and they laid down, taking a few minutes to settle in. Considering how nervous Jack had been before, he fell asleep surprisingly quickly. Mark, on the other hand, didn’t sleep at all. As his eyes adjusted to the dark, he kept searching for the girl, but he didn’t catch a single glimpse of her throughout the night.

\-----

“You’re already awake?” Jack questioned groggily.

Mark nodded and sat up. “Is your ankle feeling okay enough to get out the window?”

Jack wiggled his foot and cringed. “No,” he answered honestly, “But I’ll just have to make do. We can’t exactly stay in here forever.”

“Okay. Just let me…” Mark trailed off, took a deep breath, and started again. “It’s not gonna work, but I’m gonna try the door one more time.”

“Just in case?” Jack asked with a smirk.

“Just in case.” He stood, moving to stand by the front door. He paused, swallowing, and then turned the handle. It opened. “What the fuck…?”

“It worked?” Jack asked excitedly.

“Yeah. Yeah, it worked,” Mark answered. He hurried back to Jack’s side, helping him out of the sleeping bag. Then he tossed both of them over one arm and supported Jack with the other. They hobbled outside and headed for the tent that was still set up across the street. Mark dropped their bags in the grass and shook the tent, startled sounds coming from its occupants.

“You survived!” Bob joked as they climbed out of the tent.

“Yep,” Jack answered. “My ankle’s fucked, but we’re alive.”

“What happened?” Wade asked.

Mark hesitated, glancing back to the house. For just a moment, he could swear he saw something flicker in the attic window. He turned back to his friends with a shudder. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”


	9. Coffin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today’s is fairly short, because I’ve felt horrible all day and barely managed to convince myself to get out of bed and write anything at all. I love vampires, though, and the prompt gave me an Interview with the Vampire-inspired idea, so I had to do something with it.
> 
> Went with the extended prompt again today:  
> Coffin  
> “I’m not sleeping in that.”  
> “Yes you are.”
> 
> Warning for mentions of death, I guess.

“I’m not sleeping in that.”

“Yes you are,” Mark insisted, gesturing him forward again.

“That’s a fucking coffin.”

“Obviously.”

“So, I’m not sleeping in a coffin!”

Mark rolled his eyes. “Unless you want to burn up and _die_ , then yes, you are.”

“I think I might actually prefer that,” Jack said, crossing his arms. “Besides, aren’t we already dead?”

“In a way, but this would be actual, permanent death. You would be a pile of dust, not a sentient being.”

Jack continued eying the coffin dubiously. “Isn’t there some other way? This is… _really_ cliché.”

“No, there isn’t, because I don’t have a room without windows!” Jack giggled at Mark’s exasperation, and he growled. “Now, hurry up and get in the fucking coffin! The sun’s going to rise soon!”

“Why _don’t_ you have a room without windows? Or the whole house, for that matter? Seems like it’d make being a vampire a hell of a lot easier.”

“Because I’ve lived here since I was turned, and I don’t want to move! Now get in!”

Finally taking pity on Mark, Jack climbed into the box. “Fine, but let it be known that I am completely against this.”

“Noted.” Unexpectedly, Mark nudged him to one side and climbed in on the other.

“This is… a very tight squeeze.”

“Yeah, well, I didn’t exactly have time to get another one. It was pretty short notice.”

“Right. Er… Thanks for that, by the way,” Jack said, wriggling uncomfortably. Mark made a small questioning noise and he clarified, “For ‘saving’ me. Kind of.”

“Well I couldn’t just let you die on the side of the road.”

“I thought vampires didn’t have hearts? Can you really do something as selfless as saving someone’s life?”

“Souls,” Mark corrected. “Or so the media says. I honestly don’t know. I had to learn everything on my own, and the only differences I noticed were that I need blood to survive and that most of my bodily functions shut down.”

Jack took a minute to take this in. Then his eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Wait, so… You don’t even know if the sun will actually kill us?”

Mark cleared his throat. “Well, no, not exactly. But in my defense, it’s not like I could just easily test it! And pretty much everything ever about vampires says that sun is a big no-no.”

“…Fine, I guess that’s true.”

“Right, now go to sleep.”

Jack was silent for a while. Just as Mark dared to hope that he had drifted off, he spoke up again. “You had to learn on your own? Does that mean vampires are lone wolves? Is there some rule about leaving the people you turn to go on their own journey?”

Mark frowned at the worry in his voice. “No, my sire was just kind of an ass. Don’t worry, I’m not gonna just abandon you and leave you to fend for yourself.”

“‘Sire?’”

“I don’t know, that’s what they called it on Buffy!”

Jack snickered but didn’t push any further. “So you’ll stick by me and teach me what you know?”

Mark nodded. “We can worry about all that when night falls, though. For now, just try to get some rest.”

“…Okay.”

Mark stayed awake, dark-adapted eyes watching as Jack shifted uncomfortably several times. Eventually, he fell asleep, curling closer to the other man unconsciously. Mark sighed, whispering, “You’re wrong; saving you was entirely selfish.”


	10. Ghost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m pretty happy with how this turned out, though I admittedly had no idea how to end it. I’ll be continuing this one tomorrow, though.
> 
> Today's prompt was "Ghost."

When Jack bought the house and his friends warned him that it was haunted, he didn’t take them too seriously.

A month later, he really regretted that.

It started with little things—a cup missing here, a pen moved there—but those things happened when you were in the middle of unpacking and finding a proper place for everything.

Then there were the cold drafts, but maybe the place just had some insulation problems. Jack promised himself that he’d get it checked out once he was more settled in.

When windows and doors started opening and closing on their own, it was a bit harder to justify.

And then he woke up one morning to find his entire living room rearranged, and there was really no other way to explain it except somebody breaking into his home in the middle of the night just to move things rather than steal them. Even Jack couldn’t bring himself to believe that.

He considered moving, but the house had been pretty expensive and the ghost hadn’t done anything particularly aggressive, so he decided to take a different approach. He went out and bought a Ouija board.

That night, he set up the board in the middle of his messed up living room and sat down on the floor. “Okay, um… Dear spirit,” he said loudly, feeling kind of ridiculous. “Shit, this is weird. I don’t know what I’m doing… Um, is there somebody here?”

Nothing happened for a few moments, and Jack hung his head. Of course he was just imagining things. Then a tiny breeze passed over his hands, and the planchette began to move. _Yes._

“Wow, okay, uh… Are you malevolent?”

The pointer shook a bit, and he imagined the ghost laughing as it moved to _No._

“What’s your name?”

_M…A…R…K._

“Hi, Mark. I’m Jack. Nice to meet you. I guess. This is weird.” He wasn’t expecting an answer to that, since it wasn’t a question, but the pointer quickly moved back to _Yes._ Jack laughed. “I guess we’re roommates now. But why did you move my furniture?”

_U…G…L…Y._

“Wow, rude,” Jack muttered. “I can’t believe I’m being sassed by a _ghost_.”

Before he could ask another question, the planchette began moving again. _A…N…D…A…T…T…E…N…T…I…O…N._

“Attention? You were trying to get my attention?”

_Yes._

“Well it worked. Why did you want my attention?”

_L…O…N…E…L…Y._

“…Oh,” Jack said, frowning. “Well, I know you’re here now. If I promise not to ignore you, will you stop moving my stuff around?”

_Yes._

“Thanks. Um… I have to go to bed now, but I’ll talk to you again tomorrow, okay?”

_Good bye._

“Goodnight.”

\-----

The next morning, Jack awoke to a note on his bedside table.

_This is faster._

He stared at it in confusion for a minute before putting two and two together. “Oh. Duh. So you can hear me even when I don’t use the board, right?”

The pen next to the paper rose before his eyes, scribbling out another message. _Yes._

“Okay. That works nicely, then. I’ll just put a pen and paper in each room, then.”

_Thank you._

“I didn’t expect ghosts to have such good manners,” Jack said with a laugh. There was no answer, so he shrugged and headed for the kitchen to make breakfast.

\-----

Eventually, talking to a ghost somehow started to feel like a normal part of his routine. Though Jack had joked about being roommates that first night, the description wasn’t too far off from what it actually felt like. Aside from the fact that everyone would think he was crazy if he told them about his “roommate,” of course.

One day while he was watching one of his favorite anime, the pen on the coffee table hovered and began to write. Jack leaned forward to read it automatically.

_You have good taste in TV._

Jack laughed. “Thanks, Mark,” he said, addressing the other side of the couch. Somehow, he knew that the ghost was there, sitting beside him while they watched the show. That instinctual feeling wasn’t as strange as it probably should have been, but then again, he hadn’t found anything about this situation as strange as he should have.

_Jack…_

“Yeah?” Mark almost never used his name, or seemed hesitant about anything he said, so the lone word made Jack curious. He sat up, turning his full attention to the ghost’s message.

_I don’t know how, but I’m getting stronger. Watch._

As instructed, he watched the paper intently. However, the pen was unexpectedly lowered back to the table. Jack looked up in confusion, and caught sight of a man sitting on the other side of the couch. He was smiling and waving, but he disappeared after a few seconds. Jack stared in shock at the space where he had been. A minute later, the pen began floating again.

_Did it scare you that much? I’m sorry._

“No. No, it’s just… Um…” Jack blushed, hesitating. Then he realized that there really wasn’t any point in hiding his thoughts and said, “I just didn’t realize that ghosts could be hot.” There was a low laugh from a few feet away, and he jumped. “Did you just… laugh?”

 _Yes._ There was a short pause, and then Mark seemed to realize the same thing that he had. _Wait, did you actually hear that?_

Jack nodded slowly, and there was a much longer pause. Eventually, Mark began writing again.

_You didn’t hear me talking just now, did you?_

“No,” he answered. “Maybe it only works sometimes, since you’re just starting to get stronger.”

_Maybe._

They both went silent after that, lost in thought. Jack didn’t hear from Mark for a week after that.

\-----

When Jack woke up to the sight of a stranger standing over his bed, he nearly screamed. He quickly realized that it wasn’t a stranger after all, though, and clapped his hands over his mouth to stop the instinctive reaction. He considered getting out of bed, but the idea of standing there in just his boxers was somehow more embarrassing now that he could actually _see_ Mark, rather than just _knowing_ he was there. Instead, he simply sat up, clutching the comforter in his fists. “Mark, thank goodness you’re here. Standing over my bed kind of creepily, but still. _Here._ I was starting to get worried.”

Surprisingly, Mark didn’t disappear or pick up the pen. Instead, he opened his mouth and laughed. “Did you think I’d died?” he joked.

Jack jumped. “How…?”

“I’ve been practicing, while you’re asleep. I wanted to surprise you.”

“Well, it worked,” he said, blinking owlishly.

“I’m so happy,” Mark said, grinning. Before Jack could ask why, his eyes narrowed. “It won’t last long. I’m losing focus. I need to practice m—”

He disappeared, and Jack nodded. “It’s nice to actually see and hear you. You have a nice voice, too,” he said as he laid back down, “but now it’s time to go back to sleep. As my roommate, you have to respect that I do _not_ wake up at 6am. You’re lucky I can’t actually hit you.”

There was no reply, but Jack was sure that Mark was laughing as the door opened and then closed again.

\-----

“You’re getting better at that,” Jack said around a mouthful of toast.

From across the table, Mark nodded. “I think I might be able to hold it permanently now.”

“Really? That’s awesome!”

“Yeah.” Unexpectedly, Mark vanished. A moment later, his note appeared on the table.

_I guess I never said it, but you’re pretty hot too._

Jack blushed and, avoiding the comment, questioned, “I thought you just said you were here permanently?”

 _I said I_ could _be, not that I_ wanted _to… It’s easier to say that if you can’t see me._

He laughed. “That’s strangely adorable. I’d prefer it if I _could_ see you, though.”

There were a few seconds of silence, and then Mark flickered back into existence, staring at the ground. “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” Jack said. “I’m flattered. Besides, I already told you how I felt.”

“Well, not exactly how you _felt_ ,” Mark corrected. Jack made a questioning sound, and he shook his head. “Nothing. Just forget it.”

Jack watched him for a minute, head tilted. “…Oh,” he said, leaning back as he got it. “Er… Mark, you’re really cool, especially for a ghost. I mean, not only did you not try to kill me, but you’ve even become one of my best friends, weirdly enough. But that’s just it. You’re a _ghost_.”

“Right. Of course.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No, of course you’re right. Even if you were interested, it wouldn’t work out. I can’t even touch you.”

“If it helps… I would definitely be interested if you were alive.” Mark didn’t reply, and against his better judgment, Jack asked, “Are you sure you can’t touch me?”

“Huh?”

“Well, you can move and pick up all this stuff around the house, right? Are you sure you can’t touch people, too?”

“I couldn’t when I was invisible, but I haven’t tried since I got the hang of this,” he said, gesturing to his not-quite-solid body. “I… Can I try?”

“Sure, why not?” Jack held out a hand, and with a look of intense concentration, Mark reached for it. They both sighed when his hand phased right through Jack’s. “I… actually almost expected that to work.

“Me too.”

“That’s okay, though. You can still do just about anything else!”

“Except leave the house,” Mark said, frowning. “I’m still working on that.”

“I’m sure you’ll get there,” Jack said encouragingly. “You’ve gotten _way_ stronger in just a few months, after all.”

“Only because you moved in and I was so desperate for someone to notice me.”

“Well, I noticed you, and I’ll still be here. You’ll do it. I know you can.”

“Thanks, Jack… You promise you’ll stay?”

“I promise.”


	11. Gravestone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a continuation to yesterday’s fic. Why do these keep getting so much longer than planned, and yet never long enough to fill in the gaps with all my ideas??
> 
> Anyways, I used the extended prompt today:  
> Gravestone  
> “What does that even say? Something about fish?”  
> “That’s my name, you ass.”
> 
> Warning for angst.

“Hey, Jack?”

“Yeah?” Jack asked, brows furrowing in response to Mark’s hesitant tone.

“I know this is kind of weird, but… Would you be willing to go somewhere with me?”

“I thought you couldn’t leave the house?”

“I couldn’t, but I’ve been working on it more and more. I can’t go too far for too long, but… I think I can make it there.”

“Alright… Won’t people on the street freak out if they see you, though?”

Mark laughed. “Yeah. I’ll have to go invisible, so I’ll just give you the address instead of leading you there. Your phone has GPS, right?”

“Yeah… And where exactly are we going?”

“My grave.”

\-----

When Jack made it to the graveyard, Mark was already there, squatting in front of a gravestone. “I thought you were staying invisible.”

Mark glanced up and gestured around the cemetery. “It’s pretty late; there’s nobody else here.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Jack answered, rubbing his arms. He crouched down next to the ghost, peering at the engraving. “What does that even say? Something about fish?”

“That’s my name, you ass.” Mark laughed, but the sound was forced.

Jack immediately sobered. “Sorry, I shouldn’t joke. This must be pretty tough on you, huh?”

He shrugged. “It’s really… surreal. You being here makes it a bit easier, though.”

“Glad I could help.” Jack sat down, leaning against the side of the tombstone.

Mark followed his lead and sat against the front. He stared down at the grave with a bemused expression. “I’m sitting right over my own body right now. How weird is that?”

“Pretty weird,” Jack agreed with a small smile. They sat in silence for a few minutes until he eventually asked, “How did you die? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, obviously! Probably a touchy subject.”

Mark gave a sad smile, still looking at the ground. “I’d… rather not, if that’s okay.”

“Of course, yeah! Didn’t mean to push!” Jack said, flailing a bit.

“You didn’t push at all. I’m glad you’re interested in my life… or death, I guess. I just don’t think I’m ready to talk about it.”

“Alright. That’s fine.”

“Thanks for understanding.” They were quiet for a few more minutes, and next time, it was Mark who broke the silence. “I might disappear one day, you know.”

“Huh? What do you mean? Aren’t you… stuck to the house or something?”

He nodded. “Seems like it, but… They always say that ghosts have unfinished business, right? So don’t you think I’ll move on if I… finish whatever business I have here?”

“Yeah, I guess that makes sense… Do you know what you’re supposed to do?”

Mark shook his head. “There are a lot of things I wish I’d done while I was alive. It’s hard to narrow it down to just one thing that stands out above the rest.”

“Well, maybe we should make a list. I can help you go through them all, one by one, and eventually one of ‘em will work.”

“That desperate to get rid of me, huh?” Mark joked.

“Actually, I… I’ll be pretty damn lonely once you’re gone,” Jack admitted, turning his gaze to the stars that were just starting to appear. “But it’d be way too selfish of me to try and keep you here instead of letting you move onto heaven.”

“What makes you so sure I’ll go to heaven?”

“Are you kidding me? You’re way too nice to go to hell, that’s for sure. You care about people too much, and I’m pretty sure you couldn’t even hurt a fly.”

“I had my fair share of fuck-ups during my life, Jack…”

“Well, yeah. I’m sure ya did. We all make mistakes,” he answered with a shrug. “That doesn’t mean you deserve to go to hell for them.”

Mark didn’t answer for a long time, and when Jack looked over he was gone. “Mark? …Guess his time ran out,” he muttered to himself, standing up and dusting his pants off. He stared at the gravestone for a minute and realized that there were no flowers on it, or any other sign that anyone had been there recently. He made a mental note to bring some another time, then started on his way back home.

\-----

“I thought about it some more, and I think you’re right. I made a list.”

“That’s great, Mark,” Jack answered with a small smile. “So, where is it?”

“…I hid it.”

“What’s the point of that, you dork?” he asked, laughing.

“Look, I’ll just tell you each item as we get to it, okay?”

“Alright, if that’s what you want. So what’s up first?”

“I want to apologize to my brother. We weren’t really on the best terms when I died, and that’s definitely one of my biggest regrets. There’s no way I can make it to Ohio, though, and it’d probably give him a heart attack if he saw me anyways.”

Jack hummed in thought, eventually suggesting, “You could write a letter. And then I could send it and say I found it somewhere in the house.”

“Yeah… Yeah, that could work. Thanks, Jack!”

“No problem. I’m sure he’ll feel better knowing that you were sorry and that you forgave him, too… It’s hard to let go of guilt like that.”

Mark hesitated, unsure if he was about to cross some sort of boundary. “…You sound like you’re talking from experience.”

Jack sighed and nodded. “An old friend of mine died after we got in a fight, and it took me a really long time to stop blaming myself… I’m glad you and your brother get a chance to at least kind of make things right, though,” he said through a watery smile.

“Oh shit, Jack… Please don’t cry,” Mark said, standing up. He moved around behind the other man and started rubbing his shoulders. He sighed and relaxed into it, squeezing his eyes shut against the painful memories. “I’m only getting that chance because of you. Thank you, Jack.”

“I really am happy for you,” Jack replied. He took a minute to collect himself, opening his eyes when he felt steadier. Then he jumped up from his seat. Mark looked at him questioningly, and he gesticulated wildly. “You touched me! I could actually feel that!”

“Holy shit, I did,” he said, eyes growing wide with wonder. “I did it, Jack!”

“I know!” Jack said excitedly. “God, you’re practically alive now. You can touch things and people, leave the house, stay visible as long as you want… How are you making such huge progress when you couldn’t even talk when I moved in?”

“I don’t know; I’m almost as surprised as you are! I guess it’s just practice and all of your help.”

“What crummy timing, though… You start mastering all this stuff right when you’ve decided to try and move on…”

Mark shrugged. “This is just the first thing on the list. Who knows if it’ll be the one that counts. At least this’ll make things easier until we figure it out.”

“That’s true… Well, you ready to start that letter?”

“…Yeah, I think so. Do you… mind if I keep this private?”

“Of course, whatever you want. Just let me know when you’re done.”

\-----

“Mark! Mark, I wasn’t the first person to leave flowers on your grave today!” Jack called as he rushed into the house. Mark appeared in front of him, and he jumped. “Dear lord, would ya stop doin’ that all the time?”

“…You’ve been leaving flowers on my grave?”

“What? Oh right…” Jack flushed. “I didn’t tell ya about that, did I? Yes, I have been, but that’s not what’s important right now! Somebody else left some today!”

“Really?” Mark bit his lip, then nodded firmly. “Okay. I’m gonna go check it out.”

“What do—And he’s gone,” Jack sighed, rolling his eyes. He moved to the living room, grabbing his laptop before falling onto the couch for a night of mindless entertainment.

He finally decided to go to bed at 5am. “Mark?” he called one last time. There was no answer, and he started to worry, but shrugged it off in favor of sleep.

\-----

Mark didn’t reappear until the next evening. “It was Thomas,” he said, monotone.

“Thomas?” Jack asked. “Oh, is that…?”

“My brother,” he confirmed. “He came here all the way from Cinci after he got my letter… He was talking to my grave, and I wanted to say something _so badly_ , but…”

“It’s probably for the best that you didn’t.”

“I know.”

“I know that doesn’t make it any easier, though.”

“No, it doesn’t… But he forgave me. I’m so glad…”

“Of course he did. Whatever happened, I’m sure he forgave you a long time ago, Mark.”

Mark ignored the statement, instead asking seemingly randomly, “Will you play some Attack on Titan? I wanna watch.”

“A bit overwhelmed? Need to zone out for a while?”

“To say the least.”

\-----

“I knew you when I was alive.”

“Huh?” Jack jolted, shooting Mark a confused look. “What are you talking about?”

“Well, that’s an exaggeration. I didn’t really _know_ you, but we went to the same high school, and we met once.”

“Really? I don’t remember that…”

“You wouldn’t,” Mark said with a laugh. “I was just a scrawny little band geek, and we only talked the one time.”

“How the hell do you remember that, then?”

“Well, it’d be pretty hard to forget that accent. And that hair.”

“You’re one to talk,” Jack responded, looking pointedly at Mark’s bright red locks.

He shrugged. “To be honest, I copied you because I thought it looked cool. I went pink at first, and then I just kept trying out different colors until I settled on red.”

“That’s so weird… It’s a small world after all, huh?”

“Yeah, it really is.”

\-----

“The next thing on the list is going to the ocean.”

“What is this, number four?”

“Five,” Mark corrected.

“I’m surprised we haven’t found the right one yet… Maybe it’s not just one thing. Maybe it’s all of them.”

“Maybe.”

“Anyways, you’ve never been to the ocean? _How?_ You lived so close to it!”

“I chose not to,” Mark admitted, looking embarrassed. “I’m… kind of terrified of it. But I guess now would be the time to conquer my fears. At least I can’t drown, right?”

“Right. That’s a good outlook to have.”

“I still feel like I’m going to shit myself at just the thought of going into the ocean.”

“Well, you’re braver than me,” Jack said, laughing. “I don’t think I’d be able to test my fear of heights even if I was already dead. But will you even be able to make it there?”

“I think so… It’s not _that_ far away.”

“Alright then. Let’s do it!”

\-----

“I lied,” Mark admitted out of nowhere one day.

“What are you talking about?”

“Um… Well…” He disappeared, and Jack laughed when a nearby pen started floating.

_You never noticed me, but the real reason I remembered you from school was that I watched you a lot. You always stood out from the crowd, and I had the biggest crush on you._

There was a long pause while Jack tried to formulate a response. Before he could, another line was added.

_I still do._

There was another minute of silence, and then Mark reappeared with a sigh. “I thought that would work.”

“What do you mean?”

“Telling you. That was the last thing on the list.”

“Really?”

“…Yeah. I don’t know what else to do.”

“Well, maybe there’s something less obvious that you haven’t thought of. We’ll figure it out. But in the meantime, being stuck here with me isn’t _too_ horrible, is it?”

The ghost chuckled. “Of course not, Jack.”

“Good. And Mark?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you for telling me. I’m sorry I was a blind idiot in high school.”

\-----

“Wake up, sleepy head! Come see what I managed to do!” Jack groaned as the covers were yanked away from him, but sat up and rubbed his eyes. Mark gestured excitedly before rushing out the door, and he blearily got dressed and followed. When he made it to the dining room, he was surprised to see Mark standing proudly before a plate of eggs and toast. “I made breakfast! I mean, I obviously can’t eat it, but _you_ can!”

“How the hell…?” Jack asked with a bewildered smile.

“Well, if I can move things and write, then why not cook?”

“Wow, that’s pretty impressive. Thanks, Mark,” he said, sitting down at the table. Mark sat across from him, beaming proudly. Jack paused with his fork already halfway to his mouth and set it back down. He watched the ghost for a long minute, heart clenching at the unabashedly happy expression on his face. Then he turned his gaze back to his plate before saying, “I lied too, you know.”

“Huh? About what?”

“Months ago, you asked me how I felt about you. And I said that you were hot, but that I couldn’t be interested in you because you’re a ghost. But really, I just _wish_ I couldn’t, because it’s weird as hell and would never work out.”

“Jack? Are you saying…?”

“The truth is…” Jack took a deep breath and sighed out, “I love you.”

There was no response, and his heart dropped into his stomach. He chanced a glance up, but Mark was gone. “Mark…? Look, I know you like to disappear when you’re embarrassed, but I’d really appreciate it if I could see you right now. It’s okay if you don’t feel the same, I just… Please?” he called pathetically.

Still no reply. He sat for a long time, hoping that the ghost would reappear, but he didn’t. It took even longer for Jack to understand what had happened. “…Oh,” he said, a single tear falling despite the shocked numbness he felt as realization hit.

Mark was gone for good.

He had finally moved on.


	12. Moon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I came up with this idea in the middle of reading about language acquisition for my Child Development class, I loved it lol. I put way too much thought into creating an alien language. Yes, it’s extremely simplified, but I actually came up with some basic syntax and shit. I’m an utter language geek, so it was really fun for me. I’ll be honest, though–that was the part I enjoyed most. Once I actually started writing this, I kind of started to hate it. I don’t really know why. I guess it was just overwhelming for me. I really hope you like it, though, and I apologize ahead of time for the ten billion mistakes that are probably in here; I know nothing about space.
> 
> Today's prompt was "Moon."

“Fuck…” Mark groans when he wakes up. He slowly sits up, clutching his aching head—or at least, the helmet around it. “That was one hell of a rough landing. What the hell happened?”

Of course, there’s nobody else around to answer, so he climbs into the pilot seat and takes stock of everything himself. “The ship’s pretty banged up… Looks like the engine’s completely lost, and I’m sure the landing gear is kaput, too.” He pushes a button on his helmet, switching from analyzing the ship to his own suit, still muttering to himself. “Life support systems are undamaged, thank god. Communications and translator… Fuck!”

Mark taps away at the ship’s console for a minute before leaning back with a sigh. “Great, just what I needed. Crash landing on a foreign planet with no way to contact home and no way to communicate with the locals. Fan-fucking-tastic. Where the hell did I even land?” He types in a few more commands and barks out a laugh. “And somehow, I only made it to the moon! …The boss is gonna be so pissed when I get back. Goodbye, sweet paycheck.”

He emerges from the ship, cringing at the wreckage when he looks back at it. A quick scan of the area reveals a dome not too far away, and he sighs in relief. Though it looks far too small to be a town, there should at least be breathable air there, and hopefully some other living creatures. Mark climbs back into the ship to pack a bag with the essentials, then begins the slow trek.

When he makes it to the dome, Mark is surprised to see just two buildings inside. He enters the airlock and takes off his helmet when the process is complete. Looking at the metal buildings curiously, he starts to make his way around to the one that looks like it might be a house. Before he can get there, though, a high-pitched voice calls out.

“Lesoko!” Mark jumps at the sound, turning around to find a creature that is vaguely humanlike; at least, it has a torso with two legs, two arms, and a head. The being is abnormally slender, though, with long limbs and skin so light it seems to glow. Two entirely blue eyes take up much of the space on its head. It’s a species Mark has never come across before, which doesn’t bode well for his chances of finding help. “Sepoko ta henu?”

Mark’s eyes widen as the being starts to walk toward him. He holds his hands up as if in surrender. “I’m sorry! I don’t understand!”

The creature stops a few feet away, repeating, “Sepoko ta henu?” When Mark just continues staring helplessly, it squints at him. After a minute of thought, it speaks again, carefully pronouncing a single word. “Name.”

“Oh, name!” he says, brightening at the thought that perhaps the alien can understand and help him after all. He holds out a hand. “Mark.”

The other being stares at his hand in confusion and repeats, “Mark…” It places a hand to its own chest. “Jack.”

“Jack,” he says, receiving a nod in return. “I need help, Jack. My ship crashed.”

The alien stares blankly at Mark, and he sighs. Holding up his hands, he folds one into a fist to represent the moon. The other stays straight to represent his ship, and he mimes it nosediving into the moon’s surface. “Crash.”

Jack nods, seemingly understanding, then turns away abruptly. Mark stares after him in confusion as he walks away. Then the alien shoots a glare over his shoulder, gesturing for him to follow. “Vasoko!”

Mark follows obediently, and Jack leads him into one of the buildings. He pauses to take in the surroundings, the entire place crammed with machinery and ships clearly in the middle of repairs. “Wow.”

Jack gestures to himself, then around the room, and finally to Mark. “Tono ta.”

Mark’s brows furrow, but he nods, hoping that he’s understanding correctly. “Thank you.”

Then Jack leads him back out, to the other building. He stops before it, again pressing a hand to his own chest and gesturing to the building. “Plock jala.”

“Plock jala? Your house?” Mark guesses.

Jack tilts his head curiously and, without responding, moves inside. He bustles around for a few minutes, ignoring Mark, before setting something that resembles porridge on a table. He waves Mark into a chair, and the human sits obediently. “Lesoko,” Jack says, pointing to the chair. Then he points to the food and says, “Nadivoko.”

As soon as Mark takes a bite, he realizes that he’s absolutely ravenous. The food is warm, and it doesn’t taste too bad, so he digs in and doesn’t object when Jack walks right back outside. He returns a while later, standing against the wall and staring unnervingly as Mark continues eating. Once he’s finished, Jack waves him forward and leaves again. “Vasoko.”

He follows Jack back to the other building, which must be a workshop of sorts, and gasps when he sees his ship already set up on metal rails and ready to be fixed. Jack brings him a chair, and he sits down to watch as the alien gets to work. They’re silent for a long time, until Mark just can’t take it anymore. “Why are you out here all alone?” he asks curiously.

“Alone…?” Jack repeats, as though searching his memory for the word. His eyes brighten as he recognizes it. “Botala! Vasoko,” he says, and Mark follows him to the console that takes up one wall. The alien types for a few moments, and then a picture of horrific carnage appears.

“The war…” Mark says sadly, understanding all too well.

Jack nods. “War.” He copies Mark’s earlier pantomime, a fist to represent a planet and a straightened hand to represent a ship. He shows the ship flying quickly away from the planet and landing on another. Then he points to himself with a somber expression. “Botala.”

“You’re the only one?” Mark asks sadly, not expecting an answer. “I lost my father in the war. I can’t even imagine my entire species just… gone.”

Jack stares blankly for a while, then turns back to continue his work on the ship.

\-----

Time is strange on the moon, but Mark imagines that it’s been at least a month in Earth time. Jack had opened up his home to him, providing him with food, shelter, and company. He’s kept him alive and sane and worked on the ship, all for nothing in return.

Of course, Jack can’t work on Mark’s ship every day; the shop seems to be his livelihood, and creatures of various species come through for repairs. Unfortunately, none of them have been human. Still, he works on it often enough that Mark realizes the damage must be even more severe than he though—a month should be more than enough time to get it up and running again.

They pass the time by attempting to teach each other words in their native tongues. Mark has proven to be absolutely miserable at learning languages, but Jack has started to pick up English surprisingly quickly.

Mark also takes up the hobby of trying to drag smiles out of Jack. He doesn’t smile often, but that just makes him feel more accomplished when he manages it. Even more rewarding is the strange, high-pitched warbling laugh that rarely escapes Jack. At some point, Mark makes it his goal to pull that laugh from him as often as possible. The language barrier gets in the way and leaves him with mostly slapstick comedy, but that’s okay; he isn’t above hurting himself a bit for the sake of humor.

One day, Mark is sitting in the house when Jack runs in unexpectedly and shouts, “Vasok!” He follows him out to the workshop, and Jack stands back and says, “Done.”

Mark looks at him, wondering if he heard wrong or if Jack is speaking in his own language, but Jack just smiles eagerly at him. “What?”

“Done,” Jack repeats. “Vasok! Look! Tesoto pola te!”

Mark stares at his ship, which certainly looks fixed from the outside, and wonders why he isn’t happy. He should be happy, right? He can finally go home. All at once, it hits him. He made an unlikely friend, and he’ll miss Jack when he goes back to Earth. He’s not entirely sure he’s ready to leave him.

There are friends and family waiting for him on his own planet, though. He can’t just abandon them, and his entire life, to live on the moon. On the other hand…

Jack lives alone. He’s quite possibly the only member of his species alive. He’s seemed just as grateful for Mark’s company as Mark has been for his, and he doesn’t seem to have any regular visitors outside of his clients. Maybe…

Mark places one hand on his ship, swallows, and looks to Jack with a smile that is braver than he feels. “…Vasok?” he asks hopefully.

Jack grins, the brightest smile Mark has seen from him yet, and nods. “Vaso a te. Yes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think it's interesting to read this without knowing what Jack's saying, because then you're in the same position as Mark, but I also get that it can be absolutely infuriating, so here are translations if you want to know them.
> 
> The most important, recurring word is "vasoko," which just means "come." "Vasok" is the more familiar form.  
> Lesoko: Stop (or stay)  
> Sepoko ta henu?: Who are you?  
> Tono ta: I help you (Here, Jack is trying to simplify his language in the same way Mark does.)  
> Plock jala: My home  
> Nadivoko: Eat  
> Botala: Alone  
> Tesoto pola te!: I fixed your ship!  
> Vaso a te: I'll come with you


	13. Scream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My first thought when I saw today’s prompt was some really terrible horror that probably would’ve made me sick to my stomach if I wrote it. Instead of going with that, I decided to write a fic far in the future after Coffin. Inspiration came from many places today: my friend Jill, Interview with the Vampire (again), the soap opera in FNAF Sister Location, and a weird computer game I played years ago.
> 
> I used the extended prompt again today:  
> Scream  
> “Baby where are you? Scream for me!! Baby?? Where are you?”
> 
> I… may have interpreted the prompt very differently than most people would expect lol

“Mark?” Jack appeared in the doorway, head hung low and voice trembling.

Mark sat up, suddenly on high alert. “What’s wrong?”

He hesitated, gnawing on his lip. “…I lost Bea.”

“What?” Mark jumped up. “How the hell do you lose a baby?”

“I guess vampire babies are really sneaky? Whatever, it doesn’t matter! Please just help me find her!”

“Right. Where were you when you lost her?”

Jack hurried down the hall, leading him to the baby’s room. “We were in here, and I looked away for like five seconds, and then she was gone!” Mark knelt down, lifting the crib’s skirt, and Jack groaned in frustration. “You think I didn’t look there? I looked under the crib, in the closet, in the toy box… everywhere! Bea isn’t in here!”

Mark stood up with a sigh, pursing his lips. “Okay then, where the hell is she?”

“I don’t know!” Jack screamed. “Why do you think I’m freaking out so much?”

“Alright, you check the kitchen; I’ll check our room.”

“Okay…” They looked everywhere they could think of and eventually met back up in the hall. Both looked completely distressed, and Jack wasn’t sure which he wanted more: to cry, or to punch something.

“She must have gotten outside somehow. Let’s go.”

“What if it’d been the middle of the day?” Jack mused miserably as they headed into the woods that surrounded their house.

“Don’t worry, Jack. She wouldn’t be able to climb out of her crib that easily.”

“Why the hell did you have to turn a _baby_? You had to know it was a stupid fucking idea! You realize that she’ll never grow out of this phase, right?”

Mark stopped, turning to look at him. “Oh, well, fuck me for wanting to grow our dysfunctional little family,” he said scathingly. “Forgive me if I heard you constantly complaining about how you’d never be able to have kids, and thinking that meant you actually _wanted_ one.”

“Oh god…” Jack said, burying his face in his hands as he really did start crying. “I’m sorry, Mark. I know you were trying to do something good, and I didn’t mean to take it out on you. I’m just so scared, and I’m pissed off at myself. I can’t believe I lost our fucking daughter. Who the hell does that?!”

“It’s okay,” Mark said, visibly relaxing. He rubbed Jack’s shoulder and opened his mouth to continue, but suddenly froze. “Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Jack asked. They stood stock still until the sound repeated. “Holy shit, that’s Bea! She’s crying!”

“I think it came from that direction,” Mark said, pointing. They both took off at a run, listening for any more wails.

“Baby where are you? Scream for me!! Baby?? Where are you?” Jack yelled, eyes darting around as he dodged around trees and ducked under branches. She cried again, and they adjusted their course, sprinting until they found the little girl sitting in the middle of a pile of leaves. Jack scooped her up, holding her close and rocking her in his arms.

“I can’t believe she managed to crawl this far,” Mark said. He stepped forward, stroking her hair, and Jack cuddled up to his side to allow him easier access. He hugged Jack tightly and kissed Bea’s forehead.

“Don’t ever do that again,” Jack scolded, hoping that some part of her little baby brain could understand him. “You scared Daddy so much… Thank god you’re okay, Beatrice.” The sudden relief was overwhelming, and he laughed through a fresh round of tears.

“Hey. Hey, it’s okay. Don’t cry,” Mark said, his voice low and soothing. “We’ve got her. She’s safe and sound now.”

Jack nodded, laughing again. “I know. I’m so glad. I’m gonna be better from now on: to her and to you.”

“You’re already perfect,” Mark replied, squeezing him tighter and pressing a kiss to his cheek. “One slip-up doesn’t make you a bad person.”

Jack smiled and leaned his head on Mark’s shoulder, bouncing Bea lightly. “Let’s go home.”


	14. Noise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally, today’s fic was going to be a sequel to Cobwebs. And then it was going to be something else entirely. And then I ended up with this, which… I don’t know where it came from. My mind goes strange places sometimes lol
> 
> I used the extended prompt again today:  
> Noise  
> “What was that?”  
> “Oh, nothing. It’s just the sound of my heart stopping.”

“Is it still after us?” Mark yelled as they ran through the school halls.

“I don’t know! It’s fuckin’ invisible!” A locker slammed behind them, and Jack squeaked. “I think that’s a yes! Just keep running!”

Mark turned into a new hallway, grabbing Jack’s elbow to make sure they didn’t lose each other. The sounds told him that the thing chasing them hadn’t rounded the corner yet. Before that could change and it could catch sight of them, he yanked open the first door they passed. “In here!” he said, pulling Jack in with him.

“…Oh,” Jack said, blinking as his eyes tried to adjust to the pitch black. He shifted uncomfortably and managed to bump into both Mark and something on the floor.

“What the hell is that thing?” Mark whispered.

“I don’t know… Some kind of monster? Or maybe a ghost? It’s invisible, after all.” Jack went quiet, stiffening in fear as loud footsteps clunked past their hiding spot. When the sounds stopped, he corrected, “Okay, maybe not a ghost.”

“I’m kind of scared to leave,” Mark admitted. “What if it comes back?”

“Me too.”

“Maybe we should just stay here for a while.”

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.”

They stood in silence, each staring at the dark space where they knew the other was standing. After several minutes, a loud bang echoed down the hallway and they both jumped. “What was that?”

“Oh, nothing. It’s just the sound of my heart stopping,” Jack said with a nervous laugh.

“It still doesn’t seem safe to go out.”

“Right. Yeah, let’s just… stay here.” Jack squatted and felt around the floor, trying to find an open space to sit. One hand hit a bucket and the other landed on a roll of toilet paper. He sighed, giving up on the idea of getting comfortable. Standing back up, he put out his arms to make sure he didn’t crash into a shelf and ended up hitting Mark’s chest. “Sorry,” he chuckled, “Kind of a tight fit in here.”

“Yeah, sorry about that. I just grabbed the first door I saw. Kind of expected it to be a classroom.”

Jack shrugged, though he knew the other man couldn’t see it. “…I didn’t say it was a bad thing,” he said, hesitant but suggestive.

“Huh? …Oh,” Mark drawled as he caught on. He blushed and was suddenly glad for the darkness hiding his face.

Jack reached out a hand, finding Mark’s shoulder, and followed it up until he reached his face. Cradling Mark’s cheek, he slowly leaned forward and…

Was stopped by Mark’s hands on his chest, gently pushing him away. Jack made a quiet, confused noise, and Mark bit his lip. “Look, Jack, I would love to. But there are three reasons we can’t.”

“What are they?” he asked, embarrassed and sulking.

“One: We’re being chased by a monster, and it’s really not the right time for that.”

“Okay, I guess that’s fair,” Jack said with a soft laugh.

“Two: I don’t care what the movies say, a janitor’s closet is _not_ a good make out spot. It’s all darkness and shelves to run into and things to trip over.”

“…Also true,” he admitted unwillingly.

“And three…” Mark took his headset off and walked across the room to Jack. He smiled patiently until Jack took his headset off too, giving him a puzzled look. “I wouldn’t want our first kiss to be in virtual reality,” he finished, leaning in to close the space between them. Jack smiled into the kiss, and he pulled away with a quiet giggle. “See? That was _way_ better.”

“Well, I don’t actually have anything to compare it to,” Jack teased, “But maybe you’re right.”

They set their equipment on the desk and moved to the couch. Jack fell back against Mark, laying his head in his lap and musing, “I can’t believe how realistic VR has gotten.”

“No kidding. I could’ve sworn that monster was right behind us and you were only a few inches away.”

“I still think we should test this theory of whether VR kisses are better or worse than real ones.”

“Maybe next time,” Mark said, laughing. He leaned down for another quick kiss. “Right now, I think I’d rather stick to the real thing.”


	15. Fangs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay for more cliche vampire AU? I’ve watched way too much Buffy in my life. Oh well. This one is NOT connected to Coffin and Scream, by the way.
> 
> Used the extended prompt again today:  
> Fangs  
> “Can I touch them?”  
> “Careful, they’re sharp.”  
> “Yeah, I figured that out when you bit me.”  
> “I fucking apologized, okay?”

“Ow!”

“Shit, shit, sorry!” Jack yelped, pulling away and rolling to the other side of the bed. He clenched his eyes shut for a few seconds, took a deep breath, and turned back to Mark with a concerned expression. “Are you okay? Should I go get a bandage?” he asked, already halfway standing.

Mark sat up and put a hand to his neck. It came away with just a pinprick of blood, and he gestured for Jack to sit back down. “No, I’m alright. You know, for all the ‘romantic’ books and shows about vampires, I don’t think any of them really warn about the peril of fangs digging into your neck in the heat of the moment,” he teased.

“I’m sorry,” Jack said, voice muffled as he buried his face in his hands.

“It’s alright,” he answered with a laugh, “but maybe we should, um… Just cool down for a while.”

“Yeah, okay. Good idea.”

Mark leaned against the headboard, pulling Jack back against him and kissing the top of his head. Then he grabbed the remote, flipping through the channels until something caught his eye. “Wanna watch Twilight?” he smirked.

Jack groaned. “I fuckin’ hate you.”

“Nah, you know you love me.”

“…Unfortunately,” he sighed.

\-----

Jack was on the edge of sleep when Mark’s voice pulled him back to awareness. “Can I touch them?”

“Huh?” he asked, rubbing his eyes as he sat up.

“Your fangs,” he clarified. “You’ve never let me touch ‘em before.”

Jack pursed his lips in thought, then nodded after a moment. “Careful, they’re sharp,” he said, opening his mouth wide.

“Yeah, I figured that out when you bit me.”

“I fucking apologized, okay?”

Mark laughed loudly. “Calm down, I’m just teasing you.”

“Yeah, I know, but… That seriously freaked me out! I could’ve really hurt you!”

“But you didn’t.”

“I could next time.”

“No you couldn’t,” Mark said confidently. “You’ve got more control than that. I trust you.” Jack’s expression softened, but before he could reply, Mark continued, “Now let me feel ‘em!”

Jack rolled his eyes but opened his mouth again, watching down the bridge of his nose at Mark curiously poked at his fangs. “Ouch!” Mark jumped, yanking his hand away.

“Are you fucking kidding me? I just warned you!” Jack said, grabbing Mark’s hand to examine it.

Mark grinned, holding his finger up in front of Jack’s eyes. “Want some blood?”

“What? Don’t mess around, Mark. Now really isn’t the time for that.” He scowled, and Mark’s smile turned slightly embarrassed.

“I may have done it on purpose,” he admitted.

“What? Why the hell would you do that?”

“I know you haven’t been drinking enough lately, Jack. Just take some.”

“Mark…” Jack warned.

“Jack…” he returned, eyes stern. He didn’t move his bleeding finger away from the vampire’s face.

Jack sighed and rolled his eyes. Then he took Mark’s finger between his lips, lapping up the dot of blood before pulling away. “Happy now?” he asked exasperatedly, but Mark could see the shine in his eyes.

“No, I’m not, because you’re still hungry.”

“Mark, knock it off. I’m serious.”

“So am I. I’ll be okay, I promise.”

“You can’t promise that. What if I lose control?”

“You won’t.” Mark tilted his head to bare his neck, and pressed Jack’s face against. Jack still hesitated, and he pulled him forward more insistently.

Jack sighed, whispering, “I’m sorry.” He pressed a light kiss to Mark’s neck before sinking his teeth into it.

Mark jumped, breathing through the initial, automatic rush of fear. Pushing past it, he rubbed at Jack’s back and forced himself to relax. “Don’t be.”

Jack pulled back a minute later, wiping his mouth and watching Mark with guilty eyes. Without a word, he stood up and moved to the bathroom. He returned a minute later and gently pressed a bandage to his boyfriend’s skin.

“Hey, I’m alright,” Mark soothed, smiling gently and giving Jack a quick kiss.

“I’m never doing that again.”

“Then promise me that you’ll actually eat elsewhere.” Mark never questioned where Jack got his blood, but he was fairly certain it wasn’t from humans. But one of the reasons he never asked was that he was a bit scared of what his own (lack of) reaction would be if he ever found out Jack _did_ drink from humans.

“…Alright.”

“Good. But I’m always here if you _do_ need more.”

“Mark!”

“Shh.” He laid down, pulling Jack down onto the bed next to him. “I told you, I trust you. And you just proved that it wasn’t misplaced, so you should start trusting yourself, too.”

Jack squinted at him for a few seconds before shaking his head with a fond smile. He reached back to turn the lamp off and curled up next to Mark. “You’re too good, Mark. I love you.”

“Love you too. Goodnight, Jack.”


	16. Wing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh, so I guess this one is a Supernatural Hunter AU? With some Carry On-inspired bits thrown in? I dunno, man. Haunted Septiween just makes me wanna write all the crossovers for some reason.
> 
> Used the extended prompt:  
> Wing  
> “Wings.”  
> “Brilliant observation, Jack. Have anything more you wanna add to this riveting conversation?”
> 
> Warnings for implied sexual content with wing kink? Oops? That’s something I never thought I’d say lol

When Jack made it back to the hotel room, he was surprised to find his boyfriend already there, sulking in the dark. What was even more surprising, though, was when he flicked on the light. He stared for a minute, speechless, until a chuckle escaped. “Wings.”

“Brilliant observation, Jack. Have anything more you wanna add to this riveting conversation?”

“And a tail.”

Mark sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Uh-huh.”

“What the hell happened to you?”

“What do you think? I got hexed.”

“Oh my god, this is hilarious.” Jack pulled out his phone, snapping a quick picture for future blackmail material. Mark rushed out of his chair to try and stop him, but he was too slow. The picture ended up a bit blurry, but the black wings and red tail were still clearly visible.

“It’s really not,” Mark pouted.

“It really is.” Jack stepped into Mark’s space, reaching for the pointed tail. “I have to admit, though; you look…” He giggled as he carefully wrapped the tail around his hand. “Devilishly handsome.”

Mark groaned loudly, dropping his head. “I can’t believe you actually went for such an obvious joke.”

“Aw, c’mon, I _had_ to.” Jack slid his other hand up Mark’s arm and around to a wing, touching it curiously. He shuddered, and Jack gave him a questioning look. Mark’s only reply was a shake of his head as he bit down on his bottom lip. Jack watched carefully as he gently stroked a feather, a grin growing when Mark shivered again and closed his eyes. “Oh, this should be interesting,” he said, circling around to press a kiss to one wing. Mark leaned back into him with a quiet sigh, and then Jack suddenly pulled away to sit at the table. “ _After_ we figure out how to get rid of them. You know, for when we actually want to.”

“What?” Mark asked, blinking in dazed confusion. He turned to face Jack, frowning as he registered the words. “Huh? After all that, you’re just gonna…? You’re such a tease!”

“Yep!” Jack grinned unapologetically.

“And the worst boyfriend ever.”

“Now _that’s_ just not true,” he said, pointing accusingly. “I’m the _best_ boyfriend, because I’m gonna make sure you aren’t stuck like this forever. Now come help me do some research.”

“…Fine,” Mark sighed, falling into the chair next to him. He opened a book randomly, staring morosely.

Jack leaned to whisper in his ear, mischievously running a hand down his wing. “Don’t worry, I promise we’ll have plenty of fun later.”


	17. Angel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly had no intentions of continuing Ghost and Gravestone, and had no idea how they even could be continued. But a few people asked for more, and Thefallenreborn gave me the idea of an afterlife fic. So since the prompt today was “angel,” I decided to just go for it. I barely actually used the word, but the whole thing is kind of centered around the idea.
> 
> Warning for mentions of death. Also, there is a bit of Septiishu along with the Septiplier.

“I remember you mentioning once a special place you liked to go… So this is it, huh?” Jack asked, standing behind Mark with his hands shoved in his pockets. They both watched the colors of the sun setting over the cliffs, a sense of peace filling the air.

Mark smiled at the old familiar voice. “Yeah, this is it,” he confirmed, swinging his legs over the edge.

Jack hesitated, then carefully sat down next to him. “Thought I said I wouldn’t be testing my fear of heights even after death. Why’d ya have to go and do _this_ to me?”

“Hey, I didn’t make you follow me out here,” he objected. “Besides, it’s not like you’ll fall off or anything.”

“Not really the point.”

Mark finally turned to face the other man, and his smile morphed into one of confusion. “I thought it had been a long time, but… You still look the same.” An idea crossed his mind and he gasped. “God, Jack, you didn’t…?”

Jack shook his head with a sad smile. “No, Mark. It’s heaven; I get to look however I want, and this was the best time of my life. It’s actually been a really long fucking time.”

“How long?”

“ _Too_ long.” He scooted closer, embracing Mark and burying his face in his neck as he started crying. “God, I missed you so fucking much.”

Mark hugged him back tightly and ran a hand through his hair. “I missed you too. I left at the worst possible time, and I wouldn’t have if I had any choice.”

“Speaking of…” Jack set up, swiping futilely at his tears and giving Mark a watery smile. “I guess I should do this properly now. I love you.”

“I love you too,” he replied, beaming.

Jack held Mark’s face in his hands and leaned closer, pressing a long kiss to his lips. “I’m sorry I didn’t get the chance to do that when I was alive. Better yet, I’m sorry I didn’t do it even earlier, when we were _both_ alive.”

“We’ve got all the time in the world to make up for it,” Mark said. He slid backwards to lie in the grass, one arm tucked behind his head and the other pulling Jack along. He went willingly, resting his head and hand on Mark’s chest. “Literally. We have eternity now.”

Jack chuckled. “That’s a nice thought.”

They fell silent for a long while, the sunset fading into a dark night sky. As they watched the first stars appear, Mark finally decided to voice the thought that was troubling him. “Jack, I’m really glad that you still want me after… However long has passed, but… Please tell me you didn’t waste your life waiting for me.”

Jack smiled, understanding the underlying question, and shook his head. “Of course I missed you more than I can say, but… Don’t worry. I led a long, happy life, Mark. I found a job that I adored and a woman that I loved. And even if I didn’t exactly change the world, I made an impact on a few people’s lives, and I couldn’t ask for more than that.”

“Good,” Mark said, squeezing his hand. “I’m so glad you were happy.”

“I really was. And I really _am_.”

“The woman, is she…?”

“She’s still alive.”

“What’s her name?”

“Signe.”

“Well, whenever she winds up here, I’ll have to thank Signe.”

“Do you think you’ll be able to share, Mark?” Jack giggled.

“I think I can handle it,” he said, rolling his eyes. “I can’t exactly be mad at or jealous of someone who watched over you while I couldn’t.”

Jack smiled up at the sky, not answering. Eventually, he said, “Hey Mark?”

“Yeah?”

“I told you you’d end up in heaven.”

“It wasn’t heaven until you got here.”

“You’re so cheesy.”

“Remember what we said about making up for all those years?”

“Yeah…”

“Well, you can expect so much cheese you won’t be able to handle it.”

“I love you, ya goofball.”

“I love you too, angel.”


	18. Infection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Used the extended prompt today:  
> Infection  
> “I got bitten. I just called to tell you that… that I love you.”  
> (It was originally “sprayed,” but I tweaked it because “bitten” works better with classic zombie stuff.)
> 
> As you might expect, warnings for plenty of angst and character death.

When Jack finally gets back to the little house they’ve fortified, he’s panting and covered in… Well, he doesn’t really want to think about what it is. “We shouldn’t have split up. The town’s fuckin’ crawling with ‘em,” he mutters to himself. Louder, he calls out, “Mark?”

He listens carefully, but there’s no answer. “Robin? Anybody?” he tries.

A moment later, Robin walks in. He glares, a finger to his lips. “Shut the fuck up, dude! Are you _trying_ to draw their attention?”

“Sorry. It’s just… I need some help.”

Robin drops his bag and rushes to Jack’s side with a concerned expression. “What’s wrong?”

He gestures over his shoulder with his thumb. “I just need you to help me clean up some scratches on my back.”

“Just scratches?” Robin asks carefully.

Jack nods. “I’m positive.”

“Alright.”

They head to the sink in the kitchen and Jack pulls his shirt off, hissing in pain when the blood makes it stick and pull at his skin. He cringes when Robin brings out the disinfectant but doesn’t speak until it’s done. “Thanks, Robin.”

“No problem. They aren’t too deep; should heal up in no time.”

Bob suddenly bursts through the door, Wade on his heels. They slam it closed and lock it, peering in between the slats over the windows. “Good, the traps got ‘em.”

They fall onto the couch, clearly exhausted, and Jack throws on a new shirt and joins them. “Mark?” he asks, wrapping his arms around himself as his hope starts to fall.

Wade bites his lip and shakes his head. “Didn’t see him. We thought he’d already be back.”

A lump forms in his throat, and Jack glances to the walkie talkie attached to his belt loop. “We should make sure he’s okay.”

Bob gives him a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry, Jack, but we can’t. You know the noise will just put him in more danger.”

“I know,” he sighs, dropping into a chair. They all fall silent, and he curls up with his knees to his chin, staring at the door.

A few minutes later, there’s a burst of static from the device at his hip, and Jack grabs it frantically. “Mark? Where are you? Are you okay?”

“Hey, Jack,” a tired voice chuckles. Mark ignores his questions entirely, saying, “You know, I used to think that I’d be that person to survive the whole fucking apocalypse ‘cause of all the zombies I’d killed in games.”

The knot that’s been sitting in Jack’s throat drops to the pit of his stomach. “Mark, what are you saying? Come on, don’t mess with me like this.” The others share a look and leave the room, flipping off their walkies as they go. He barely notices.

“So much for that, huh? I barely lasted a month once the real thing happened.”

“Please stop,” Jack chokes. He can barely breathe and the room is spinning. Something in the back of his head warns that he’s panicking, and panic doesn’t help survival, but that isn’t important right now.

“I got bitten,” Mark says. He tries to laugh again, but a sob comes out instead, and Jack feels his heart break. He suddenly realizes that he’s crying, too, and wonders distantly when that happened. “I just called to tell you that… that I love you.”

“Mark, no,” he pleads. “You’re going to get your ass back here, we’re gonna patch you up, and you’re gonna tell me that in person. It doesn’t count unless you say it to my face.”

“Doesn’t count, huh?” he chuckles. “Well, I guess I should’ve said it earlier, then. I’m sorry, Jack. I really don’t wanna leave you alone.”

“Then don’t!”

“Stay alive, okay? And take care of the other guys for me.”

“Stop it! You’re not gonna die!”

Mark coughs, and then there’s a long pause. Eventually, he comes back on. “I’m sorry, Jack. I can feel the infection. I have to go and end this before it spreads any more. I know it doesn’t count, but… I really do love you.”

“No! Mark, we’re gonna go out and find you, okay? Just stay with me! You’re gonna be okay! Mark? C’mon, talk to me! Just say something!” There’s no reply, and eventually Jack realizes that Mark must have switched his walkie off. He buries his face in his hand, sobbing into dead air, “I love you too, you ass...”


	19. Alien

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the sequel to Moon. To be honest, I really enjoyed writing this one, but it also made me slightly uncomfortable lol
> 
> I used the extended prompt:  
> Alien  
> “What is a… What did you call it again?”  
> “Dog, Jack. That is a dog.”
> 
> Warning for an interspecies relationship XD;;

“Jack!” Mark called as he entered the house. The alien appeared, staring at the thing by his feet quizzically, and Mark grinned. “I got us a pupperschnup!”

“What is a… What did you call it again?”

“Dog, Jack. That is a dog.”

“But—”

“I say weird things sometimes. Ignore it. This is called a dog. Dogs are a type of animal.”

“Oh. Is it one of the animals that you humans… Keep?” Jack asked, his face showing his clear distaste for the idea.

“Yes, but don’t worry,” Mark answered, laughing. “We’ll take good care of her and shower her with love and affection and she’ll be the happiest pup ever. Isn’t that right, Chica?”

He beamed down at the dog and patted her head. She barked, and Jack jumped back in surprise. “Chica…?” he asked, eying her warily.

“That’s her name. And don’t worry, dogs do that. It’s how they communicate.”

“That is their language?”

“Well, a very simple one, but yeah, basically.”

Jack squinted at the dog for a moment, then squatted down to look her in the eyes. He let out a loud bark, and Mark snorted. Chica stared at the alien, tilting her head, and he cautiously pet her fur. She nudged his hand, silently demanding that he pet her head, and he complied with a smile.

“I’m sorry I have to travel for work so often,” Mark said, watching them fondly. “I can’t exactly say no, though; I almost lost my job after that crash-landing on the moon.”

“I understand,” Jack said, peering up at him.

“I know you do, but… I know you get lonely when I’m gone, too. I got Chica to keep you company.”

The alien smiled. “Thank you, Mark. That is very thoughtful of you.”

“Well, it wasn’t entirely selfless; I love dogs, and I’ve been wanting one for a while too.”

“Still, thank you. Does this mean you’ll be going on another trip soon?”

Mark sighed. “Yeah, unfortunately. Here, vasok, I’ll show you how to take care of Chica.”

Jack giggled, and Mark raised an eyebrow at him, confused. “You said ‘vasok.’”

“Oh. Yeah, I guess I did. It kind of became automatic in the first few weeks you were here, since it was the only word I knew in your language.”

“It’s nice, to be reminded of home. I wish you could learn more.”

“Me too,” Mark said with a sad smile. “I’m sorry I’m so bad at it.”

“It is not your fault.”

“Well, I’ll try harder anyways.” They arrived in the kitchen, and Mark set a bowl and bag on the floor in the corner. Then he filled the other bowl with water and set it down next to the first. Pointing to the bag, he said, “This is Chica’s food.”

“I couldn’t have guessed,” Jack said, staring directly at the words “dog food” on the bag.

Mark rolled his eyes. “You know, sometimes I wish you _didn’t_ learn English so easily.”

“Why?” the alien asked curiously.

“You got the hang of sarcasm way too quickly.”

\-----

A month later, Jack got the call that he could expect Mark home soon. When he heard the key turning in the lock, he ran to meet him at the entranceway, Chica following on his heels. “Welcome back, Mark.”

“Thanks, Jack. Hi Chica!”

Chica wagged her tail happily and jumped on Mark. “You were right. Chica was very good company.”

“Really? That’s good.”

“Yes. She is very intelligent,” Jack said. He barked, and Chica faced him and echoed the sound. Mark watched them, eyes narrowed as he tried to decide whether Jack was serious or just messing with him again. He gave up on figuring it out when the dog trotted into the kitchen.

“Were you okay while I was gone?”

“Yes. I am alive and well, and as I said, Chica was good company. However…”

“What? What’s wrong?” Mark asked worriedly.

“I still missed you.”

“Oh, I—”

“I would like to give you a ‘welcome home’ kiss,” Jack cut him off, and he was standing much closer than Mark had realized.

Against his will, Mark’s eyes drifted down to Jack’s mouth as his heart started beating double time. “Ah, uh… You _do_ know what kissing generally means, right?”

“It is a way to show romantic intentions, is it not?”

“Yeah,” Mark answered, feeling like the air had been kicked out of him. “Yeah, that’s exactly what it is.”

“Is that a problem?”

“Um, no. No it’s not.” As Jack started leaning closer, Mark panicked and held a hand up to stop him. “Wait! Um, I don’t know how kissing works for your race,” he admitted. Jack’s laughter rang through the air, and he grinned in response. “God, I’ve missed that laugh.”

“Lakos are not _that_ different from humans, Mark.”

“Oh. Okay. Good.” Jack leaned in again, and this time, Mark moved forward to meet him. He intertwined one hand with Jack’s and rested the other on his neck. Just as he started to feel like his knees were going to turn to goop, a bark interrupted them. Mark pulled away, chuckling, and glanced down at Chica. “That was really nice, but I think the dog’s hungry. We should probably feed her.”

“Of course,” Jack allowed. “But can we kiss more later?”

Mark laughed. “Yeah, we can. That would be more than okay with me.”

“Good. Oh, and Mark?”

“Yeah?”

“Hako jala te.”

“What’s that mean?”

Jack gave a secretive smile and shook his head. “I will not tell you today. Someday, though.”


	20. Scratch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is really short, because I honestly had no plot for it. Sorry!
> 
> I used the extended prompt again today:  
> Scratch  
> “He’s a demon, Mark. Just look at these battle scars!!”

“I’m gonna kill him.”

“No you aren’t,” Mark said calmly, setting aside his book.

“He’s a demon, Mark. Just look at these battle scars!!” Jack held up his arms, showing off the myriad scratches covering them.

“It’s a _cat_.”

“Yeah, a cat from hell!”

Mark laughed. “He just wants to play, Jack.”

“No, he wants to murder me. That thing grabbed onto my arm with all four paws and just started scratching and biting like crazy!”

“Fine, I’ll go play with him and wear him out, ya big baby,” Mark said, rolling his eyes as he stood up. Jack cautiously followed him into the bedroom, watching from the doorway.

“Remind me why we agreed to watch the demon cat?”

“Because our dear roommates wouldn’t go on the vacation they wanted unless someone they trusted watched over their cat, and _you_ were insistent that we get the house to ourselves,” he answered with a raised eyebrow, and Jack blushed. Mark glanced around, confused, and called, “Damien?”

“See, he’s even got an evil _name_.”

“Damien, where are you? You want some treats?”

The cat ran out from under the bed, and Jack jumped back. “Jesus fucking Christ!” It darted straight past him and into the hallway, Mark chasing after it.

“Get back here, you stu—lovely cat.”

As Mark chased Damien around the house, Jack grabbed one of the mouse toys and rolled it in catnip. Then he knelt a few feet away from the cat and held the toy out by the tail, shaking it slightly. “Come here, you little fucker…”

Damien turned, watching the toy intently. He lowered his body to the ground, shook his butt, and pounced. “Ow! Shit!” Jack yelped as the cat grabbed hold of both the toy and his arm again. Resigned to his fate, he glared up at Mark. “You damn well better make this worth it.”

Mark watched the show for a moment, withholding his laughter. Then he smirked at Jack and promised, “Oh, don’t worry. I will.”


	21. Siren

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are, at the last day of Haunted Septiween. This has been so much fun (even though I didn’t participate every day), and I wanna give a big thanks to itsquiettime for setting it up again this year. I hope you guys have enjoyed it as much as I have. :)
> 
> This one got a bit longer than expected, but I had a lot of fun writing it.
> 
> Used the extended prompt:  
> Siren  
> “Okay that sounds tempting as fuck but I am not going to look your way you enchanting fucker.”
> 
> Warning for implied sexual content and some possible dubcon (consent is enthusiastically given, but under the influence of alcohol and a siren’s voice).

Jack had never believed in love at first sight, but this night was doing its best to change his mind.

He was seated at a dingy bar, the drink in his hand long forgotten as he watched the band onstage. The singer was a man with broad shoulders and dyed red hair who looked to be about the same age as him. Between the gorgeous looks and a low singing voice that almost sounded like a constant growl, Jack was hooked. It was difficult to pull his eyes away, but from the brief seconds that he managed it, he could see that everyone else was just as captivated as he was.

When the final song ended and the band disappeared backstage, Jack finally snapped out of his thrall. He turned back to the bar, feeling dazed. He stared at his glass for a minute, and when the feeling didn’t dissipate, he wondered aloud, “Shit, maybe I’ve had too much.”

“Damn, and just when I was gonna offer to buy you a drink, too.”

Jack jumped, turning to face the newcomer. To his surprise, it was the singer. “A-ah… Well, I guess one more couldn’t hurt,” he stammered, cursing the blush he could feel rising.

“Great! Pick your poison,” he said, beaming as he gestured behind the bar.

“Uh, just a beer, thanks,” Jack answered, hesitant to either waste the man’s money or put too much more alcohol into his system.

He ordered their drinks and took a sip before sticking out his hand. “I’m Mark.”

“Jack.” They shook hands, and he downed a gulp of his own beer. “Uh, your set was really good, by the way.”

“Really? We tried out a few new songs, so it’s good to hear they worked.”

“No, no, it was great! Your singing especially is just… Wow.” That feeling of being drawn in was back, and Jack couldn’t look away from the other man if he wanted to… Not that he _did_ want to.

Mark laughed. “Well, thank you.”

They talked until their bottles were empty, and when Mark offered to buy him another, Jack declined. “Thanks, but… I should probably find a cab home soon.” He didn’t really want to leave at all.

Mark hummed. “Well, maybe this is too forward, but… I’ll regret it if I don’t at least try.” Jack’s heart thumped in his ears, well aware of what the question would be. “Would you like to come back to my place instead?”

“Yes!” Jack blurted, barely able to keep quiet until the last word was out. He flushed, but Mark didn’t seem to mind the enthusiasm. He just chuckled quietly as he placed a few bills on the bar.

“Well, let’s get going then,” he said with a smile. Jack nodded, and Mark took his hand, leading him outside.

The sudden quiet when they exited the club was shocking. Mark waved down a cab and Jack climbed in after him, watching the city lights fly by as they drove. Nerves and anticipation combined into one giant knot in his stomach. He bounced his leg in an attempt to shake off some of the nervous energy. Mark’s hand landed on his knee and slowly slid up, stopping the bouncing but only making the knot grow larger.

When they finally arrived at Mark’s house, he took Jack’s hand again and led him inside. The moment the door closed, they lunged together, kissing sloppily. Jack’s hands bunched in Mark’s shirt, clinging desperately. In turn, Mark’s hands landed on his waist and the back of his neck, and he used the leverage to lead Jack down the hall.

By the time they made it to the bedroom, their shirts had already been abandoned, tossed on the hallway floor. Mark gently pushed Jack down on the bed, climbing on after him. They made out a bit more, and then he sat up, just staring for a minute. “God, you’re gorgeous.”

“Your voice…” Jack moaned, trying to pull him back down. “You’re a fuckin’ siren.”

Mark jerked back, fear suddenly appearing in his eyes. “Huh? How’d you figure it out?”

“It was a joke,” Jack said. When he took in Mark’s expression, though, he sat up and scrambled off the bed. “Holy shit, you’re serious!”

“Uh… Well, this is awkward.”

“No fucking shit!” Jack yelped, forcing himself to turn away from the other man with some difficulty.

“Nobody’s actually figured it out before.”

“Well maybe that’s because it’s totally unbelievable! I wouldn’t believe it myself if I didn’t see your reaction just now! Aren’t you supposed to be out in the middle of the fuckin’ ocean or something?”

Mark sneered. “Well, there aren’t exactly a ton of people just waiting to get lost at sea nowadays. Most of us have made our way on land and gotten into the music industry and such.”

“That actually explains a lot.”

He hummed in agreement, grabbing Jack’s hand to stop him as he tried to leave the room. “Wait,” he whispered into his ear. “Just come back to bed.”

Jack shuddered. “Okay that sounds tempting as fuck but I am not going to look your way you enchanting fucker.”

“Aw, why not?” Mark asked, the pout audible in his voice.

“Because you’re gonna… I don’t know, do whatever it is that sirens do after they seduce people! Eat my soul or something!”

Mark laughed lowly, lips still nearly touching Jack’s ear. “Please, we don’t kill people. That’s just an old wives’ tale. Some sailors might’ve died trying to get to sirens, but it was never intentional. People like to hear us sing, so we just like to indulge them.”

“Fuck,” Jack said, shivering again.

“I swear, I didn’t have any ill intentions when I picked you up at the bar. You’re just so pretty, and you seemed interesting. I just wanna see and hear more from you…”

“You really aren’t gonna try to kill me or something?”

“Of course not.”

“I’m so gonna regret this…” Jack gave in, squeezing his eyes shut as he turned to meet Mark’s mouth. When he pulled away and opened his eyes again, he found Mark grinning widely at him.

“I promise, you really won’t.”


End file.
